The Rematch
by DigiDestined of Courage
Summary: Angered that his sister failed in taking Yoh's spirit Amidamaru, Tao Ren has decided to have a rematch against the shaman. If Yoh loses, he'll lose more than just his spirit friend...YohAnna as story progresses.
1. The Aftermath

BlackTerriermon: (imitates The Rock) Finally…The DC has come back to Fanfiction.net! 

Me: (sighs) Oh, boy…

Manta: (screams) What's that?! 

Me: (eyes Manta) Long story, I'll tell you later. Oh-and, by the way, I don't own anything relating to _Shaman King. And, this story takes place right after Yoh defeats Tao Jun and frees Li Bailong. _

BlackTerriermon: (still imitating The Rock) The DC's now doing Shaman King work-or, at least, branching out that way. This is The DC's first story, so take it easy on him, or I'll lay the SmackDown on you! 

Anna: (frowns at BlackTerriermon) That's not our dinner, is it? 

Manta: No! (blinks repeatedly)

Anna: Good. I was going to tell you to throw it back.

BlackTerriermon: (still imitating The Rock) Big surprise-The DC now branching out to Shaman King stories! Why? The DC's muse will tell you why-after reading the coolest Yoh/Anna stories already posted on this site, along with The DC, The DC's muse did him a favor-he said, "DC, you can do any story with any coupling you have in mind-even though you still have a Rukato story to finish," so The DC said he wanted to do a Shaman King story; more importantly than that, The DC said Yoh/Anna will be tossed in this storyline!

Anna: (rolls eyes) Does he act like this all the time?

Me: Well…he put taffy in some other girls' pockets. Oh-this story is dedicated to Frozen Phoenix. 

Anna: (glares at BlackTerriermon) You try putting taffy _anywhere _on me, and you will regret it. 

BlackTerriermon: (gulps, speaks in normal voice) Yes, ma'am.

Anna: (grins lightly) Good. I hereby declare you to be my informant. Now, go find more information about any enemies Yoh may have to face soon. 

BlackTerriermon: (nods, heads off)

Me: Uh…(eyes Anna, who stares back with narrowed eyes) Right. Now-on to the story! (grins lightly) 

Anna: Remember what I said-this first story better be good, or you'll be running laps for a year! 

Me: I remember! (sighs) How does Yoh put up with her…?

Anna: What was that?! 

Me: Nothing! (smiles faintly) 

**Shaman King: The Rematch**

**Prologue-The Aftermath**

_"You're going to be my husband, so you _will _be the Shaman King…even if it kills you." _–Anna Kyoyama, _Shaman King: Shaman's Ambition_

_"As long as Yoh and I are around…this world's _not _going to end…!" _

Despite the fact that he had been possessed by his spirit partner Amidamaru, Asakura Yoh had heard precisely what his fiancée, Kyoyama Anna had said to Tao Jun, his former opponent, and had wondered what she meant by that. 

_"I'm sure she meant what she said about the world not ending anytime soon-but, why would she say what she said about her and me being around? Could she care about me more so than she lets on?" _

After thinking about it for a bit longer, the young shaman-in-training shook his head. With the way she trained him, day after day, the only thing she was focused on was making his life a living hell-and probably even after he accomplished his goal to be Shaman King-if he survived any future shaman battles! 

"Besides, if she did care about me more than she lets on, why doesn't she show it?" 

_"That's the only way you'll ever reach your full potential…why can't you see that?" _

The young itako, known as Kyoyama Anna, closed her eyes tightly before reopening them to watch her fiancé run off with the weights around his ankles and wrists-the added ones included, of course, to make sure he ran harder and trained better. 

_"You tried training on your own, and you nearly ended up dead-and, this was _before _you ended up facing Tao Ren. He not only nearly killed you, but nearly took your spirit from you! You have no idea how your future battles with other Shamans will turn out, and, if you're not careful, Yoh…!" _

"Hey, Anna! Do you know where Yoh went to?" 

Anna broke out of her thoughts and eyed her fiancé's best (human) friend, Oyamada Manta come running in, panting lightly-obviously, he'd run quite a distance just to see Yoh. 

"You just missed him, Squirt. If you hurry, though, you might be able to catch him-and, make sure he doesn't cheat to get back, either." 

Manta blinked-until he noticed the itako pointing into the distance, where Yoh's body was fading away. 

"You gotta be kidding me! Yoh! Wait up!" 

Manta gasped repeatedly as he forced his rapidly tiring body to catch up with his best friend, groaning loudly as he caught Anna's departing words: 

"And, don't forget-you're cooking dinner tonight! No junk food!" 

"Why me?!" 

Though he was far away, Yoh was able to hear his friend's frantic call to him, so he slowed down a bit just long enough for Manta to catch up with him. 

"Thank goodness! For a second there, I was afraid I wouldn't catch up with you." 

"Of course you would've caught up with me-once I finished the training course, anyway." 

The two shared a quiet laugh while they continued on through the training course Anna had laid out for Yoh to travel down. 

"Hey, Yoh-I've got a question."   
Taking his silence as an okay to continue on, Manta asked Yoh the question that had been eating at him since the day he had defeated Li Bailong-with the help of his old teacher. "You think Anna's doing what she's doing for another reason, Yoh? I mean, other than wanting to become First Lady of a Shaman King, of course." 

"I asked myself that question too, Manta, and I seriously don't think so. She wants to be First Lady, yeah, but it's that so I can give her an easy life at the same time. There might not be any other reason." 

Manta sighed lightly while remembering that shocked look on Anna's face when Tao Jun had announced that she was a _Dao-shi…_

 _Flashback_

_"YOH! STAND BACK! THAT WOMAN IS A SHAMAN! AND SHE'S PACKING A MONSTER!" _

_End flashback _

Not able to get that look from Anna's eyes out of his head that easily, Manta looked up at his best friend and thought to himself, _"Yoh…I sure hope you're right about this." _

After the 15-mile jog there and back Yoh had undergone to improve his abilities, Anna had her fiancé move on to weightlifting. To the shaman-in-training, this was just as excruciating as the jogging with the weights! Yet, thanks to this training routine Anna put him through day after day after day, he had improved-he couldn't deny that. Of course, Manta was there to watch him to make sure he didn't try and skip out on the 400 times he would have to lift these weights up into the air. As for Yoh's best (ghost) friend and spirit partner, Amidamaru, he was tied up-again-with Anna upstairs, while the itako watched TV! 

"How many was that?" Yoh gasped while holding the bar close to his chest while not dropping it onto his chest at the same time. 

"From my count and the numerous times you lifted this up and down…around 75 times. You still have 325 more to do." Manta calculated. 

Yoh groaned while dropping the bar onto his chest entirely and gasping for breath as he tried in vain to lift it back up again. 

"Come on, Yoh-you can do this! You really have improved a lot since Anna got here; you can't disagree with that! Look at what happened against Ren's sister and her _jiang-si-you not only beat them, but freed Li Bailong from her control. Sure, it took being possessed by Amidamaru __and Sha-wen, but you got the job done." _

Yoh smiled lightly while managing to lift the bar again up into the air. 

"…76. Thanks, Manta." 

Manta laughed as Yoh resumed his weightlifting, a confident look on both boys' faces. 

"What are friends for?" 

SMASH!!! 

An angered Tao Ren had just splintered a wooden table to pieces with his _Kwan Dao spear, since observing the shaman fight between his sister and Asakura Yoh. _

"She told me it wouldn't be a problem getting that spirit for me, and then what happens?! She ends up becoming as weak as that boy with the headphones, and thinks her own spirit is her friend!" 

Calming himself down as the sun had already set, giving way to the night, Ren looked out at the stars and smiled evilly. 

"Bason! Prepare yourself for the following days to come!" 

The next instant, a Chinese warlord appeared behind Ren, brandishing his own _Kwan Dao _spear in his hand, and a look on his face that spoke revenge. 

"Not only will I get that samurai as a part of my team in these next few days, Bason, but I will obtain much more than that…" 

Ren wasn't the only one watching the stars this night-Yoh was also out, watching the stars following an impressive dinner that only took Manta about five tries to make before Anna deemed it as acceptable, and had Amidamaru freed from her beads, who was watching the stars alongside his friend. 

"Though, I don't understand why Anna just can't order takeout. It would save her, and Manta, a lot of time if she just did that…" 

Laughing lightly, Amidamaru responded calmly, "No one understands why women such as Lady Anna request what they request, Lord Yoh; not even I understood what women wanted over 600 years ago, or even when I was around your age." 

"Sure-that's because you were already training to become the greatest warrior of your time, and the greatest warrior I know." 

"Hey, Yoh!" 

Yoh gasped in shock while sitting straight up while Amidamaru took this time to vanish into the skies as Anna made her presence known to her future husband. 

"Is there something on your mind, Anna?" 

The look on her face remained impassive as Anna eyed Yoh up and down for a few moments before answering his question. 

"You did a good job today-for once, you actually completed everything without trying to slack off. I'm impressed by your renewed efforts." 

"Thanks!" Yoh grinned as he placed his hand behind his head, pleased that he hadn't done something to get her mad at him. 

"You did do an amazing job against the _Dao-shi _and her _jiang-si, but there will be more tougher opponents out there, determined to become Shaman King, and you'll need to work harder to achieve your goal, as well as mine." _

Yoh laughed nervously and backed away a bit from his fiancée while a humongous sweatdrop appeared on the back of his head. 

"And, your point in all this would be…?" 

"Tomorrow will be Triathlon day-a complex running and swimming course will be laid out for you to complete, and it must be done before the sun sets!" 

Yoh collapsed to the ground, feeling completely drained and utterly stunned beyond belief. 

"What about biking?!" 

"That would be considered cheating-and, besides, no one's going to use bikes during the Shaman Fight, Yoh. If I were you, I'd get some rest-tomorrow will be a big day. And, when I say to get some rest, I don't mean outside on the ground." 

Turning around and heading back inside the house, a small smile was on the itako's face as Yoh got to his feet. 

_"You'll be able reach your full potential soon enough, Yoh-and, I'll make sure you accomplish your goal every step of the way…" _

Me: To those who aren't that familiar with Japanese words, _Dao-shi_ means spellcaster, and _jiang-si _stands for a corpse puppet-though, in Jun and Bailong's case, no more talismans are being used. 


	2. The Confrontation

Me: Okay…once again, I don't own _Shaman King, never have, never will. _

Anna: Of course. If you owned it, who knows what would happen? 

Me: (narrows eyes) Funny. _Real funny. _

BlackTerriermon: (blinks, eyes Manta) Are these two gonna try to outdo the other with staring contests? 

Manta: If your friend is smart, he'll back out now before he gets seriously hurt-or worse. 

Anna: You should be grateful I'm not having you train with Yoh-and, that's just because things-like this story-are looking up thanks to those reviews! So, if I were you, I'd back off right now! 

Me: (clenches fists, sighs) …Fine. 

BlackTerriermon, Manta: (sighs in relief) 

**Shaman King: The Rematch **

**Chapter I-The Confrontation **

_"Give a message to your friend with the headphones…Tell him that his samurai ghost will be mine…!" –_Tao Ren, _Shaman King: Another Shaman _

Gasping for breath, Ren clenched his grip on his _Kwan Dao _spear as he reentered his home just moments after returning from a vigorous training regimen he had put himself through from morning until midday. 

_"This will be only a temporary break while I replenish my body with some food. Once that is done, it's back to training-I'll train until the stars are shining brightly in the sky-if you could call those _things _stars…! I will not allow that boy with the headphones to stand between me and my destiny!" _

Ren smiled evilly to himself as he went to prepare himself some lunch, while speaking aloud what was on his mind. 

"That samurai _will be mine…I can feel it!" _

Speaking of Yoh, his alarm had woken him up around 5:00 AM or so, yet he'd chosen to toss it to the ground and attempt to go back to sleep. Yet, Anna had already figured he would pull something like this, and had one of the ghosts-who lived in the house before Yoh and Anna-wake him with sleep paralysis, which got him up within seconds. Moments after that, she'd sent him on his way to start Triathlon day. 

"How does she know what I'm planning before I do it?!" Yoh panted while swimming across a lake-with the weights around his wrists and ankles. 

"She just knows you that well, Yoh. Besides, she is an itako." 

Yoh rolled his eyes while facing Manta, who was safe on the other side of the lake. After clarifying Manta's breakfast good enough to eat, Anna had sent him along with Yoh to make sure he didn't try and skip out on the day. So far, Yoh had run over 30 miles and still had another 30 more to run, but on a different track. Now, the shaman-in-training was going through another course laid out for him-swimming. 

"You should consider yourself lucky that she didn't have you swim in the Pacific Ocean. Compared to that one, this lake should be a piece of cake!" 

"Not…helping! And, your rhyming wasn't needed, either." Yoh responded grimly while pulling himself onto dry land and staying down on his knees while regaining his breath. 

"I just wanted to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble with her-you know as well as I do-or, as I'm starting to learn-how dangerous she is if you don't listen to her." Manta warned grimly. Yoh chuckled lightly at his warning. 

"True, but things do usually turn out for the best, and this will, too. If I can survive the training, that is!" 

Manta laughed lightly while double checking the list Anna had given him earlier. 

"Let's see…you accomplished swimming across the lake in half the time it would've taken you 3 weeks ago. And, now you have to run another 30 miles on a different track. But, first, you need to get replenished, which means it's lunch time right now." 

Yoh grinned at that comment while heading back to the house at a fast pace. 

"You know what that means, Manta? It means you have to cook something edible once we get back!" 

Manta facefaulted in shock as he realized that what Yoh had said was true! 

"Why can't she just hire a personal chef?!" 

_"VORPAL DANCE!!! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" _

Ren laughed lightly to himself. The three biggest rocks he had seen were the perfect tests for his training-they had split into two and had shattered into pieces within seconds. 

_"Still…it's not enough. If I am to truly test my strength, I must face someone who would be willing to fight back, someone who would face me without hesitation! I want to face the boy with the headphones, but since I can't find him…" _

The smile on Ren's face grew as he turned around to see what appeared to be evil spirits-spirits who hadn't crossed over and had allowed their anger and frustration to overrule their common thinking. Instantly, he clutched his staff tighter and rose it to battle position as Bason appeared behind him, his own staff in the same position. 

_"Since I can't find him…these poor souls will have to do for my test, Bason, and when I have finished here…I'll know if I'm ready!" _

"Impressive lunch, Squirt. This one only took you 15 tries before it was acceptable." Anna noted calmly while Manta was stuck doing the dishes. Yoh had gone back out to do his 30 miles down the second track. This time, however, Amidamaru was able to go with him. 

"Yeah…thanks, Anna." Manta gasped lightly while thinking about what he would have to do next after finishing the dishes-taking out the trash, mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors, vacuuming the living room floors, and after finishing all that, going with her to find Yoh and Amidamaru. 

"How many more miles do I have to go, Amidamaru?" Yoh gasped while running down the path that had been laid out for him to go down for a very long time. 

"Just 5 more miles to go, Lord Yoh." the spirit replied calmly. 

Yoh nearly buckled under the number of the weights around his wrists and ankles at that comment, but was able to stay up on his feet. 

"I hope I can get this done soon-the sun looks like it's about to set!" 

"Not to worry, Lord Yoh-the sun won't set for at least another 50 minutes. You'll be able to complete the training well before then." Amidamaru reassured his friend as Yoh continued running as fast as possible. 

"That's good." Yoh laughed lightly while remembering what he'd accomplished in such a short time and thought a moment about his future opponents. 

"Amidamaru-do you think we'll be able to win the Shaman Fight?" 

The samurai nodded immediately, a look of determination on his face. "Of course. You've gotten a lot stronger than you were before, and as long as you continue to train, no one will be able to stop us as long as we remember our strategy-to work as if we are one in order to achieve 100% integration. If we remain confident in our battles, we will be able to succeed, together." 

Yoh smiled warmly at his friend's words and nodded, running harder than before despite the fact it felt like his legs were going to fall off. 

"Thanks, Amidamaru. That really helped out a lot!" 

"Of course, Lord Yoh. I am here to watch out for your well-being, as well as Lord Manta's and Lady Anna's." 

Yoh couldn't help but laugh at that response. 

"Maybe so, but from what I've seen, Anna can watch out for herself." 

"Oh, really? Will she be able to "watch out for herself" once you've crossed over beyond this world?! _VORPAL DANCE!!! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" _

Yoh yelled out as he was barely able to avoid the powerful attack-the attack he _remembered-that would have split him in two! The shock wave was able to send him flying a good distance away, though. Getting back to his feet, he got up and looked at the one person he thought he would never see again. _

"You!" 

Tao Ren nodded, a wicked smirk on his face as he pulled his staff back into position, Bason appearing behind him. 

"Yes…me." 

_"At last…the time for my revenge against this soft shaman has arrived! And, once I succeed, I will truly be on my path to become the Shaman King!" _

At that moment, having finished what he had to do somewhat early than expected, Manta and Anna showed up at the top of a lone hill, and had spotted Yoh being blasted to the ground by Ren and his Chinese warlord. 

"Yoh's in trouble! We have to help him!" 

Shaking her head, Anna crossed her arms and just stood there, watching her fiancé get back to his feet. 

_"This wasn't something I had expected would happen, Yoh, but it looks like things may get a lot worse before they get better." _


	3. The Challenge

Me: Alrighty, boys and girls…(notices Anna glaring at me, gulps)…and itakos, I don't own _Shaman King-and, I probably won't ever own it, either. _

BlackTerriermon: You can say that again, partner! Besides, if Anna had her way, you'd be running laps with her fiancé for a year! 

Me: (glares at BlackTerriermon) And, you'd be joining us, too-or did you forget that added stipulation?! 

BlackTerriermon: (gulps, grins nervously) Oh, yeah…I forgot about that. 

Anna: (sighs irritably) Why did I get paired up with these two in the first place?! 

Yoh: (blinks) Probably because there wasn't anyone else who was willing to do a story of this magnitude? 

Anna: (turns to Yoh in shock) …What was that? 

Yoh: (grins lightly) Oh…just that no one could pull this story off like this guy can. 

Anna: (rolls eyes, points toward door) You're slacking on your training! Move it! (snaps fingers at BlackTerriermon) Informant-follow him! 

Yoh, BlackTerriermon: (cries as both head out the door) 

Me: (clears throat loudly) Well, now that those two aren't around…on to the story! 

Anna: Not so fast, hero boy. (smirks lightly) 

Me: (thinks) I'm gonna hate myself for this, but…(out loud) Anything I can do for you? 

Anna: (smirk grows wider) 

Me: (groans) Why me…?! 

**Shaman King: The Rematch**

**Chapter II-The Challenge**

_"Amidamaru is my friend! I won't 'hand him over' like he's an object!" _–Asakura Yoh, _Shaman King: Shaman v.s. Shaman_

_"If that Ren guy comes after you again…you'll be **lucky **to achieve 100% integration again…" _–Kyoyama Anna, _Shaman King: Shaman's Ambition_

With a wicked smile on his face, Tao Ren already had his weapon poised for battle, as did his personal ghost, Bason. As for his competition…he was precisely where Ren wanted him to be-at his feet, struggling to get up. 

_"I still can't believe this is the shaman who bested not only me, but my older sister! He looks like a weakling-even _with _those weights on his wrists and ankles." _

Taking his attention off Yoh, Ren looked up toward the hill that Anna and Manta had stopped at, momentarily locking eyes with the young-yet, quite mature for her age-itako. 

_"That's the girl my sister Jun mentioned to me when she informed me of her defeat…but, why is she here, helping out this poor, pathetic excuse for a shaman?" _

_"INTEGRATE!! AMIDAMARU!" _

"I hadn't expected he would recover this quickly after the first time Yoh defeated him…but, it looks like this time, he might be ready for anything Yoh could throw at him." 

The itako momentarily locked eyes with the youngest member of the Tao family and realized her suspicions were confirmed-he _had_ trained ever since his defeat at Yoh's hands and would be ready for anything…

_"INTEGRATE!! AMIDAMARU!" _

…Except for his opponent integrating with his samurai spirit in 1.3 seconds-even shorter time than his fight against Ren's sister! A small grin appeared on Anna's face as she noticed Yoh pull out a short _bokuto-_that looked suspiciously like what he had been working on the previous night before going to bed-from his back pocket; instantly, Amidamaru had a tighter grip on his own weapon. 

"Manta, it looks like things may have tipped in our favor." 

"Yeah, as long as Ren's staff doesn't slice Yoh's wooden sword in half like a toothpick." 

"Relax yourself, _shaman. I'm not going to attack you. That earlier shot was a test, to see if you had improved since our last encounter. Surprisingly enough, you have, and I must admit, I am impressed." _

Yoh narrowed his eyes while circling his opponent, Ren doing the exact same as he was. 

"I'd say thank you, but I'd be lying through my teeth. What are you doing back here?!" 

"Why did I come in the first place? To become known as the Shaman King, and to fulfill my destiny…I need your samurai!" 

Back on the hill, Manta facefaulted in surprise. 

"Again?! Can't this guy find something better to do, like join a yo-yo tournament, or do something else besides trying to kill Yoh?" 

Without taking her eyes off either Yoh or Ren, Anna responded to Manta's question-even if it did sound a bit farfetched. 

"This Ren guy has a point-to become Shaman King, you have to have powerful spirits by your side-and, it wouldn't matter if it was just one or near the thousands-as long as you proved that you were just as strong as the spirits are, that you can use 100% of your spirit's power, and you defeated as many opponents as possible, in front of the Great Spirit, as well as integrate with the Great Spirit, you would be known as the Shaman King." 

Manta was, to put it mildly, impressed by Anna's explanation. Though, there was one question he had to have answered. 

"So…what would happen after the Shaman Fight was over?" 

"Simple." Anna responded. "The world would be remade anyway the Shaman King wants it." 

Manta looked back down at where Yoh and Ren were. To his amazement, they weren't fighting…but, it looked as though…

"They're conversing about something, Squirt. I can't tell what it is from here-we'll have to get closer." 

"What I want, in order to prove that I deserve your spirit, weakling, is a rematch!" 

Now, Yoh was confused. "A rematch? But, why? I was able to beat you and your spirit before-" 

"That was a fluke! You had barely been able to achieve 100% integration with your spirit, and you caught me off guard! This time, I won't be so easily distracted." Ren declared, a confident look on his face. 

"Oh, really? I've trained since our last encounter, and I'm even better now than I was then." Yoh retorted while holding his _bokuto _tightly. 

"Maybe so, but I've trained just as much as you have-perhaps even more than you have, which is why in this rematch, there will be another stipulation besides you just giving up your spirit." 

_"Be careful, Lord Yoh! I sense that there _is_ more on his mind than just obtaining me." _Amidamaru warned. With a light nod, Yoh narrowed his eyes, not letting his guard down. 

"What is this extra stipulation? Some of us have dinner to get ready for-or, help prepare, actually." Yoh bit back what he would've said next, since he felt, rather than saw, Anna's presence a bit closer to him than she had been earlier. 

"Are you certain you wouldn't just rather give up your spirit now and save face instead of me adding this stipulation? It would be a better choice-" 

"I'm not gonna give Amidamaru up like he was just a trinket to toss away! Now, what's this stipulation?!" Yoh demanded. 

Laughing lightly, Ren couldn't help but smirk while retracting his weapon. "Very well, then-if you insist on acting like a fool, this will only aid you in feeling like one. If you lose this rematch against me, not only will you be forced to relinquish your samurai spirit to me, but also…that young trainer behind you, the one with the beads around her neck." 

Yoh gasped in utter amazement, Manta's eyes widened in pure shock, but Anna simply narrowed her eyes in irritation after hearing not only the challenge, but the stipulations, as well. 

_"I wouldn't go to him if his life depended on it…and, it won't matter, because Yoh's not going to accept his challenge!" _

"Hey, Ryu, you sure it's a good idea for us to find our happy place near the river?" 

"Of course, Ballboy-now, keep quiet! A happy place doesn't need to be indoors, as long as it's a place where we can truly belong. You should remember that as well as I do." 

A few meters away from where Yoh, Anna, Manta and Ren were, was _Bokuto no Ryu _and his friends, who had been trying to find a place they could call their own ever since Yoh and Amidamaru had sent them away from the graveyard. Their search had taken them to an abandoned Chinese restaurant, but Ren had sent them away from there, too, after his defeat to Yoh. Now, their search had lead them over here, meters or so away from where Yoh had been training. 

"Now, here, at the river, where it's peaceful, content, and relaxing…I can finally admit this, boys…we have found our happy place!" Ryu yelled joyfully while raising a finger to the air. 

"YEAH!" 

"WAY TO GO, RYU!" 

"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" 

"And, now, we can rest, and relax here, at our new happy place…" 

"Yeah-if we ignore the two kids who look like they're about to fight." Ballboy responded grimly. Ryu's eyes widened in shock, quickly touching his shortened hair, or pompadour-that both Yoh and Ren had cut down to size-before looking over at Yoh and the others. 

"No way! It can't be! Not them again-those two foolish kids, the one with the headphones and the other with the weird hair, they're the ones who deprived me of my precious pompadour, and…" 

Ryu's eyes widened even more as he managed to catch a glimpse of Manta, who was next to Anna, though at the moment, he wouldn't actually see Anna. 

"HIM! THE ONE WHO STOLE MY SWORD AND TURNED INTO A ZOMBIE AFTER ASKING FOR YOGURT!" 

"So, what do we do, boss?" 

"I'll tell you what we're going to do-run away now, and find another happy place!" 

That said, Ryu and his friends hightailed it within seconds of showing up at the river, not being seen at all by Yoh or anyone else. 

"So, _shaman, what's it going to be? Are you going to willingly hand over your spirit and avoid losing the girl, or are you going to put her on the betting table as well?" _

Yoh narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands so tightly, the hilt of his _bokuto _nearly made his hands red. 

_"Focus, Yoh! Don't let his taunts, or his foolish demands allow you to lose your concentration." _Amidamaru advised. Yoh heard him, but was having a difficult time controlling his thoughts, which normally wasn't something that would happen. 

_"The answer's simple, Yoh-just say no, and clean this guy's clock with everything you have! You can beat him without agreeing to his idiotic demands already-I know it, and so does Manta!" _Anna thought, her hands shaking a bit from either frustration or concern for her fiancé. 

_"Come on, Yoh…you can do this! You beat Ren before, and I have no doubt you can do it again-but, do it on your terms, and not his!" _Manta thought, while holding onto his dictionary tightly. 

Yoh closed his eyes tightly, not losing his focus, even if his thoughts weren't entirely clear. 

_"If I accepted, Anna would probably kill me instantly…but, if I don't, how do I know that Ren won't do the same thing?" _

"Tick-tock, tick-tock…time's running out, and a decision must be made." Ren said, a hint of anger in his voice. "Will you accept, or will you hand him over without being humiliated?" 

Tossing his _bokuto to the ground, Yoh yelled out, "Fine! I accept…" _

The look on Manta's face as Yoh had said that was one of astonishment…the look on Amidamaru's face was one of amazement…the look on Ren's face was one of pure triumph…but, the look on Anna's face was something entirely different and not one you would see coming from her…

…The look on her face usually comes from someone who's been abandoned…

"So, you've decided to fight instead of just giving him up…that's fine with me-it means I won't have to deal with you later on during the Shaman Fight. To be generous, I'll give you three days to train even more so you can have a glimmer of hope, but I wouldn't cling onto it if I were you." 

Chuckling lightly, Ren turned and left Yoh, Anna, Manta and Amidamaru alone with their own thoughts. 


	4. My Bridge of Trust

Me: Okay, people-many thanks to the reviews for the previous chapters. Once again, I don't own _Shaman King, and that won't change-(gasps loudly as beads end up pinning my arms and legs) _

Anna: (glares at me) I don't know who I'm going to hurt first-you for putting Yoh in that ridiculous challenge during the last chapter, or Yoh for accepting the challenge! 

BlackTerriermon: (points to me) Him-he put Yoh in the situation. 

Me: (glares at BlackTerriermon) No dinners for 3 weeks!! 

BlackTerriermon: (screams loudly, passes out) 

Anna: (smirks) Hmm…you _did cook an exemplary dinner this past Friday-despite the fact it was just pizza-so, I'll let you off the hook…this time. (releases beads from my arms and legs) But, you'd better have at least one song in this story! _

Me: (grins lightly) Hmm…you've just given me an idea, Itako no Anna. Oh-and, I don't own _Build a Bridge by Limp Bizkit-find the CD __Results May Vary, to listen to this amazing song, by the way. _

Anna: (raises eyebrow) This song had better be good-especially if you're putting it in this early. 

Me: (grin widens) Oh, trust me-this song is extremely good. 

**Shaman King-The Rematch **

**Chapter III: My ****Bridge**** of ****Trust**

_"If he can't beat an opponent of this caliber, then there's no hope for him…I _do _believe Yoh can do it." –Kyoyama Anna, __Shaman King: Run Manta, Run _

_"With your strength and skills powering my body…we're invincible!" _–Asakura Yoh, _Shaman King: The Boy who dances with Ghosts _

"Yoh…I can't believe you accepted his challenge…!" 

Choosing not to look at Manta after he'd said that, or respond, Yoh clenched his fists tightly and closed his eyes, waiting for the expected ranting from Anna about his decision. To his surprise, she hadn't responded…

KAWHAP! 

…until he felt a tremendous ounce of pain on his right cheek and came to the simple, yet blunt, conclusion that the reason Anna hadn't responded verbally was because she'd chosen to respond physically! Reopening his eyes, Yoh found himself staring into the narrowed eyes of his fiancée. It was at this time that Yoh remembered something he'd heard a while back, that the eyes were windows to the soul. If that was true, then what he was seeing in Anna's eyes wasn't just anger, or bitterness…but, also a hidden pain normally not seen by anyone. 

"How could you do this, Yoh…you've put everything on the line for a challenge you shouldn't have accepted in the first place! Not just your samurai ghost, but you even said that if you lose, you'll have to give me up, too…!" 

"Anna…I didn't mean to…I wasn't thinking…!" 

Turning away from her fiancé, Anna replied, "Yeah-you never think, Yoh. You always just assume that everything will turn out okay, but not everything is all fun and games." 

Without waiting for a response from Yoh, Manta or Amidamaru, Anna started walking off, her own hands clenched together and shaking, though she tried to keep them in control. 

_"He wasn't thinking at all when he accepted that challenge-that's Yoh's problem! He always sees life as a way to slack off and be lazy. With that kind of carefree attitude, he'll never be the Shaman King…" _

Not even waiting for the others to catch up with her, Anna continued walking, struggling to keep the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks at bay. Despite what she'd just thought, she hadn't meant a word of it. 

_Build a bridge to your mind, takes me there everytime…_

_Lay it all on the line, if there's a way…_

_Build a bridge, make a path; overlook the aftermath…_

_Make my tears be your bath, if there's a way…_

The rest of the evening passed with solemnity in the air, and the morning came and went all too quickly for a certain shaman in training. 

"…What time is it…? WHAT?! 10:00 IN THE MORNING?!" 

Jumping out of bed faster than normal, Yoh got himself dressed, placed the weights around his ankles and wrists, then ran down to Anna's room, bowing over and over again. 

"I'm sorry I overslept, Anna…I'll make it up to you with a special dinner for tonight…" 

Looking up, Yoh suddenly realized one thing-Anna's room was completely empty! The bed had been made up, and all of her things were gone. 

"Where did she go to…? She couldn't have packed everything up in this short a time, could she?" 

Heading downstairs, Yoh also noticed that the dishes from last night had been cleaned as well, since he'd been given leave not to do them. 

"Why would she have left so suddenly without telling anyone?" 

Looking back toward the household she had-slowly-become accustomed to calling home, Anna turned back around and departed, wiping away some tears that had forced their way out. 

_"I know I'm supposed to train you, but…this is for the best, Yoh. You'll do fine, and once you beat Ren… if things work out the way you want them to, things might not change at all." _

_Only if you'll take a ride…Go with me to the other side…_

_Chorus: Even though it's gonna crumble down…(gonna crumble down…!)_

_I'll keep building 'til you come around…('til you come around…!) _

_Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart…(break my heart…!) _

_I'll keep building 'til I die…!_

"This wouldn't be like her to just up and leave like this-she's been determined to make me the Shaman King, so why would she pull something like this?" 

"I'm not sure why, Lord Yoh, but I'm sure she's not far." 

Nodding in agreement, Yoh continued running as fast as possible, looking for Anna in any place he could think of, but it's somewhat hard to do so when the only places he knew she actually went to were the house and the school. 

"Hey, Yoh! What's going on?" 

Seeing that Manta had spotted him and was now on his way over, Yoh figured that now was a good time as any to inform him of Anna's sudden departure. After doing so, Manta had only one thing to say: 

"This wouldn't make any sense-she's been determined to make you the Shaman King by any means possible, so she wouldn't just leave you like this without an explanation." 

Appearing before the two boys, Amidamaru nodded solemnly after overhearing Manta's point of view, which startled the aforementioned boy. 

"Well, Amidamaru? Have your informants heard anything about this?" Yoh asked grimly. 

"No, but a few of them have seen Lady Anna heading towards the bus stop nearest to the house. It shouldn't take us that long to get there, either." 

With that said, Yoh and Manta headed off, Amidamaru heading back inside the memorial tablet. 

"Yoh…I just thought of something…" 

"Yeah, Manta?" 

"Once we do find Anna…she might do something horrendous to you for what happened yesterday, so if I was you, I'd apologize the second we find her!" 

Despite the pain he was feeling from his wrists and ankles, Yoh shrugged lightly. 

"I'd already planned on doing something like that, but the thought is nice." 

_Build a bridge of memories, stretch it out overseas…_

_…to the end of the world, if there's a way…_

_Build a bridge made of pain; send my longing down the drain…_

_Have no reasons to complain, if there's a way…_

Laughing lightly to himself, Tao Ren went out to start the day's training, confident in his abilities as a shaman and expecting things to go well in the next three days. 

"So, your three days begin now, _shaman…you'd better be training especially hard. I want you to be at your best when I beat you and claim not only your spirit, but your fiancée as well. Afterward, you'll head onto the afterlife, but neither Amidamaru nor your other half would be joining you for quite a long time…" _

_Only if you'll take a ride…Go with me to the other side…_

_Chorus: Even though it's gonna crumble down…(gonna crumble down…!) _

_I'll keep building 'til you come around…('til you come around…!) _

_Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart…(break my heart…!) _

_I'll keep building 'til I die…! _

It had taken Yoh and Manta nearly 45 minutes to get to the correct bus stop in which Anna was at. Yoh took a few steps forward, when he noticed that Manta hadn't moved from his position behind the tree! 

"Manta-what are you doing?!"

"Nothing-I just assumed you and Anna needed some privacy and decided to wait here for you. So…good luck!" 

Yoh sighed lightly while turning back around and heading toward his fiancée. "Thanks, Manta…!" 

Heading down toward where Anna was at, Yoh thought about what he should say to her, and, if she chose to listen, his apology and explanation about why he did what he'd done. 

_Wait…wait for me…! Wait…please wait for me…!_

_Wait…wait for me…! Wait…please wait for me…! _

"What kept you?" 

Stopping after hearing Anna speak to him since the previous day, Yoh quickly gathered his thoughts together and reminded himself about what he'd wanted to say to her. 

"Anna…before I say anything else, I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry for what I did last night. I hadn't been thinking with my head…but, I was thinking with my heart." 

The last comment had confused Anna, at least for a moment. Why would Yoh admit that he had been thinking with his heart in a situation like this? 

"When Ren had said he didn't want just Amidamaru, but you as well if he could beat me…I didn't see anything but a red haze. At that time, I just wanted to do whatever it took to prove to him that I can beat him…even if it did cost me my life, at least I would've proven that I'm worthy enough-not just to be the Shaman King, but worthy enough to be a husband who will grant his wife an easy life." 

_Chorus: Even though it's gonna crumble down…(gonna crumble down…!)_

_I'll keep building 'til you come around…('til you come around…!)_

_Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart…(break my heart…!) _

_I'll keep building 'til I die…! _

_Even though it's gonna crumble down…(gonna crumble down…!) _

_I'll keep building 'til you come around…('til you come around…!) _

_Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart…_

_I'll keep building 'til I die…! _(song ends melodically)

Anna smiled faintly while facing her fiancé, amazed that he had been thinking about her during that intense situation and pleased he would be able to admit that. 

_"He's improved so much in so little time…he definitely has what it takes to become the Shaman King…"_

"I hope you'll be able to forgive me in time, Anna." 

Eying her fiancé, Anna couldn't help but smirk at his comment. 

"Of course I'll forgive you, Yoh. Besides, what you've done today proves you're more than ready to face Ren, but, just in case, we'll need to make the best of these next two days." 

Yoh blinked in confusion as Manta chose that moment to start heading toward the two of them. 

"What I did today? You mean apologizing to you?"

"No-I mean your training. You ran at least 50 miles or so just to get down here, and you can make up the rest of it by making lunch as well as dinner. I'll help out with the dishes." 

Yoh smiled lightly as he came to the simple, yet blunt, conclusion that Anna had done this to help him train in preparation for the upcoming rematch he had with Ren. 

_"So…she wasn't leaving me at all-it was just to help me prepare for my rematch. I knew there was a reason to put on these extra weights today…and, I was right! Ren, you'd better watch out, 'cause when Amidamaru and I are done, you'll be hightailing it back home!" _


	5. Triathlon Day repeat

Me: Thanks once again for the reviews, everyone. Once more, I don't own _Shaman King, _and don't plan on owning it anytime soon. 

Anna: Smart choice. If I were you, I'd just stick to cooking-and, hurry up with dinner! Ryu hasn't shown up, and thanks to you adding him to the previous chapter, he probably won't show up again in this! 

Me: (sighs, narrows eyes) Can you do me at least one favor-since you've sent my partner out to look after your fiancé again, answer those questions sent by an anonymous reviewer during the last chapter. 

Anna: (narrows eyes) Only because your cooking skills are as good as Ryu's-that's why I'm doing you this favor. Don't expect anymore favors, though. 

Me: (grins lightly) Trust me-I probably won't. 

Anna: Hmph! This is all I need-another Yoh around to deal with. Anyway, let's see what this reviewer came up with for questions: (reads questions) _Ch.__ 1-What's an itako? (smirks lightly) Who better to ask that question to than an itako? An itako is a traditional Japanese shaman, a kind of spirit medium. As an itako, I can summon ghosts from anywhere I want-even in heaven, where normal shamans-such as Yoh-couldn't reach. My specialty as an itako, by the way, is channeling. _

Yoh: (gasps, enters in, he collapses to ground) That was a decent explanation…but, a bit long-

Anna: I'm doing this favor, Yoh, and you better have completed your training for today! 

Yoh: (smiles lightly) Yeah-now, let's see what that next question is. (reads it, laughs) _Ch.__ 2-That Anna is sure a slave driver. You have no idea how right you are-_

Anna: (whacks Yoh to the ground with right hand) That reviewer better hope I never find him-or her-anytime soon! Now-what's the next question? _Ch.__ 3-Integrate, is that the actual command that Yoh used even though the dub version called it "Spirit Form Unity"? To be blunt, yes-that is the actual command Yoh uses to merge with Amidamaru-or any other spirit. _

BlackTerriermon: Now-what's the last few questions? (reads questions, lol) _Ch.__ 4-At least it has some tender moments between Yoh and Anna. You better believe it, buddy-and there should be s'more as this story rolls along! (lol) Get it?! S'more? Some more? (screams, ducks Anna's right hand) Whew! (gets hit by Anna's left hand) _

Anna: Do these other questions require answers?! 

Me: (sighs) I'll answer this next one…(shakes BlackTerriermon awake)…he'll answer the last one. Let's see…_Ever consider doing a Tamers/Shaman King crossover fic one of these days? _Yeah-I'll see if I can come up with something along that line after I've finished this story and another one I have in the works. 

BlackTerriermon: (shakes head, blinks) So-what's the last question again? (reads it) _To BlackTerriermon: Who's worst, Rika Nonaka of "Digimon Tamers" or Anna of "Shaman King"? (blinks, gulps) To be honest with you-they're both on the same level! They torture the guys that they love, and anyone else who gets in their way! They even torture anyone who interrupts a moment between them-! _

Anna: (grabs BlackTerriermon by neck) If I were you…I'd tread cautiously about what you say right now…! 

Me: (sighs) Anyway…the next two chapters focus on the last two days Yoh has remaining before the rematch-on the chapter after this, Yoh will get some "special training" in. You'll find out what I mean. 

BlackTerriermon: (gasps loudly, struggles to breathe) Can't…breathe…

Anna: That's the point! Besides-you'll just come back, right? So this is okay for me to do now! 

Me: Oh, boy…

                                                                   **Shaman King: The Rematch **

**                                                               Chapter IV-Triathlon Day repeat **

_"You're gonna make me the First Lady of the Shaman world…!" –Kyoyama Anna, _Shaman King: Shaman's Ambition __

_"Extreme challenges are required to truly test one's abilities. Therefore, battle is the best way to choose the Shaman King." –Asakura Yoh, _Shaman King: The Shaman Life __

"Ren, please listen to reason-you don't need to do this!" 

Glaring at his older sister with a look that screamed disappointment, Tao Ren replied, "I'm afraid I must-to redeem myself, and you, _sister! _Weren't you the one who said that it was 'unbecoming to take my frustrations out on my spirit companion?!' and that I should 'learn to use my subjects lightly?!" 

"I had been blinded then-and, so have you. You don't need to have this rematch-you can just face Yoh during the Shaman Fight-" 

Scoffing at her attempt to cause him to back out of his own challenge, Ren remarked, "Ha! By then, who knows how strong he would be, if he even does try to get stronger? No, big sister-I must redeem the both of us by any means possible, and to do so, I have to defeat that headphones boy and claim his spirit. That ends this conversation." 

Tao Jun sighed irritably while watching her brother leave the room, noticing her _jiang-si Li Bailong enter from the corner of her eye. _

"Until this rematch of his comes to a close, Li Bailong, we'll have to keep an eye on my younger brother." 

"Of course, Tao Jun. I won't let you down." 

Morning had, of course, arrived for the inhabitants of Funbari, Japan, and already heading down a pre-determined route at 6:00 in the morning, Asakura Yoh was struggling to not fall asleep while continuing on his training, not just for the Shaman Fight that would determine who would be the Shaman King, but for a rematch he had agreed to be in with another shaman he had already defeated; this time, if Yoh lost, not only would he have to surrender his samurai spirit Amidamaru, but his fiancée, Kyoyama Anna, as well. 

Despite having been angry at Yoh for accepting the challenge, Anna was still by her fiancé's side and training him to become the next Shaman King, as well as making sure he trained for this rematch. Since this was the second day Yoh had until the rematch actually took place, Anna had thought throughout most of the night what he should have to do, and at breakfast-which he had prepared quite well, to her amazement-she informed him of it: 

_"This took me most of the night to think about, and I didn't sleep much, so listen up-you do remember during Triathlon day when it was interrupted by that Ren character, right? _I _do, in case you've forgotten." _

_"Uh…no, I haven't forgotten, but what does that day have to do with-?" _

_"Simple: since Triathlon day was interrupted that day, you'll be able to complete the course as practice for this rematch you agreed to. The course is the same as it was the previous day, but with a tougher day ahead of you-run 60 miles down this track, then swim across the same lake within 15 minutes, and run the last 60 miles down the 2nd track you were on when you accepted the challenge." _

_"60 miles?! 15 minutes?! And, how long will this take me to finish?" _

_"This course should take you the entire day to do, if you don't slack off, and you wouldn't be getting home until it was time for dinner. And, in case you're worried about lunch, it's already taken care of. To be sure you don't slack off, I'm going to see if Manta is up-now, get moving!" _

True to her word, Anna had gotten Manta up, and it hadn't taken him that long to get down to where Yoh was at-only about 15 minutes or so, and Yoh's lunch had been taken care of. Anna had actually prepared his lunch for him before she'd even woken him up, which confused Yoh to no end. 

"So, what did she make for you, Yoh?" 

Realizing he hadn't even looked at what was inside the bag, Yoh continued to jog with the weights around his wrists and ankles while opening the bag up. 

_"That's probably why she had an irritated look as I left-I hadn't looked inside the bag. Though, Anna always has that look, so it's not too much of a surprise-" _

Yoh cut through his own thoughts with a light gasp of shock. Inside a plastic container was a mutsugoroemon buro, still warm despite the fact that it was early in the morning! 

After looking inside himself, Manta blinked once, then again before responding. "She made that for you?! When?!" 

Pulling out a note that was next to the food before closing the bag back up, Yoh said, "Probably sometime before she'd woken me up. But, why would she stick a list inside the bag as well? It must be something she wants me to get on the way back." 

Manta nodded in agreement. "That must be what it is. Besides, she's already made you fish for your lunch-I can't think of anything else that would be on this paper other than a list of food items!" 

To Yoh's disbelief-and Manta's, as well-the note wasn't a list at all! 

_"This is something I'd made sure to have finished before waking you up, Yoh-and after I'd planned out your day for today. Don't do anything even remotely stupid after what I've had to go through this past night! One more thing…be careful, and don't get hurt. _

_-Anna _

Yoh smiled faintly as he caught that last sentence. Perhaps Anna wasn't as torturous as he had deemed her to be after she'd come to see him in the hospital. That's when he noticed the actual last sentence at the bottom of the page-

_One last thing: be sure to pick up some more spices and food on your way home. No junk food!" _

Yoh and Manta groaned loudly as the two of them continued their trek down the 60-mile path Anna had laid out. 

"I should've known there was a catch!" 

"With Anna, there's always a catch. You should know that even better than me-you've known her longer than I have!" 

Both combatants were going through intense training to prepare themselves for this rematch that Ren had challenged Yoh to-and that Yoh had, of course, accepted-yet, while Yoh was being forced to endure his training-some would call it torture-regimen, Ren was not only doing some training, but also some thinking as well. 

_"How dare my sister try to convince me to call off this rematch…Just because she wasn't able to defeat that headphones boy doesn't mean she can't stop me from besting him this time!" _

True, Ren himself had been beaten by Yoh during their first confrontation, but this aspiring shaman didn't see it that way. 

"My sister knows this just as well as I do: it wasn't because of that boy's prowess and skill-it was because of that samurai! This time, I won't allow myself to lose…and, I'll make sure that I don't lose." 

Laughing lightly, with a wicked grin on his face, Ren resumed his training intently, confident in himself and in his abilities. 

Yoh gasped loudly while pulling himself out of the lake. True to his word, he had managed to swim across it within the required time limit-but, he'd nearly gone numb while inside the lake at the same time! 

"Do you think Anna would mind if I ate lunch now?" 

After double-checking the time, Manta shook his head. 

"I don't think so. Besides, she probably expected you to either do well during this swim across the lake, or mess up and have to be saved to avoid drowning." 

Yoh blinked in confusion after hearing what his best friend had said. 

"She wouldn't think that, and I wouldn't drown myself! Anyway, let's eat. I hope you brought something for yourself-Anna only put one thing in here." 

"Don't worry-I brought something for myself to eat, so it's no problem." 

Unbeknownst to either Yoh or Manta, someone was watching them from a required distance…and getting closer to where they were at. 

Speaking of the itako in question, she was simply looking through the window, with a look on her face that you normally wouldn't see coming from her…a concerned look. 

_"Don't you dare let me down in the next two days, Yoh…you've beaten this guy once before, and you can do it again. I believe in you…" _

Closing her eyes briefly, before reopening them, Anna had resumed her usual demeanor so as to not show what had been revealed only moments ago. 

It hadn't taken Yoh long to finish the meal that Anna had made for him, nor did it take Manta long to finish what he'd brought-it, did, however, take them a while to realize that they weren't alone. 

"Someone's here, Manta…" 

"What?! Where can they be? What do they want? Why aren't we running?!" 

After concentrating for a moment, and realizing who was following them, Yoh smiled. 

"We're not in trouble. In fact…" 

"I'm telling you-if we stay here, we're gonna get skewered like all of Li Bailong's enemies were in his movies, so let's get going!" 

"Lord Yoh, Lord Manta, thank goodness I've found you! We've got a serious situation that requires your immediate attention!" Instantly, Amidamaru appeared before Yoh and a near-panicked Manta. 

"Wha-? Amidamaru!" 

"What's the trouble, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, instantly alert. 

"It's Lady Anna. She's surrounded by an entire host of evil spirits, and they want to speak to the 'man of the house!'" 

Blinking, Manta responded, "Well, Anna's there, right? So, why don't they talk with her instead?"

Yoh, for once, actually had to resist the urge to smack himself-or Manta-upside the head after hearing that. 

"Anna's not the 'man of the house!' Though, she does give orders in that manner every single day. Still, there's no time! We have to get to her now!" 

"Right! What's the plan, Lord Yoh?" Amidamaru asked as Yoh and Manta started running back toward Yoh's house. 

"Simple-we drop Manta off at his place, then double back on this trail. This is the same one we used when Ren got the drop on us and challenged me." 

"Right. We-what?!" Manta facefaulted in shock and surprise after hearing that and blanked out the rest of it, for a while, at least. 

"What do you mean 'drop me off at my place?!'" 

"It's not that I don't want you to come with me, Manta. It's just that it might be safer if you were out of harm's way." Yoh explained calmly-while still running, of course. After thinking about it for a while, Manta had to agree. 

"You've got a point. Good luck, Yoh." 

"Thanks, Manta. I'll need it." 

After watching his best friend leave in another direction, Yoh looked up and noticed that the sun was setting, so he quickened his pace. 

_"Don't worry, Anna…I'm coming!" _

"Yes, this is a very important delivery…of course I'll pay you for this, since I want it bright and early tomorrow morning! Now, don't mess this up." 

Hanging up the phone with a look of irritation on his face, Ren turned to resume his final hour of training, already knowing his sister was waiting for him. 

"Did you call who I think you called?" 

"Naturally. Besides, if the _Shaman King _thinks he's more worthy of the title than I am, let him handle what I have planned to throw at him for his final day of training. Let us hope it's not his last…at least, not until I confront him." 

Jun sighed lightly while observing her younger brother resume his training once more, that same smile on his face widening. 

Yoh panted as he finally reached his house, only moments after the sun had set. Seeing that no one was outside, Yoh feared that the spirits Amidamaru had mentioned had taken Anna, so he kicked in the door-only to pull his foot back in pain after realizing the door hadn't moved an inch! 

"Ouch! You'd think she put a brick or something in front of the door." Yoh grumbled as he pulled the door open before running in…and tripping over the two rows of bricks placed behind the door. 

"When did she find time to set this up?!" Shaking his head, Yoh got up and ran up to Anna's room, opening the door instantly. 

"Don't worry, Anna! I'm here to-" 

"You're five minutes late! Don't you remember me telling you to be here before sunset?" 

Yoh blinked repeatedly while focused on a glaring Anna, who tapped her foot in impatience. A moment later, he turned and glared at Amidamaru! 

"I thought you said she'd been surrounded by evil spirits!" 

"That was just a cover story I had him tell you so you would get back here sooner, but obviously, it didn't work, since you were still late. Did you remember to get the required items for dinner?" 

Holding up the bag, Yoh nodded vigorously as Amidamaru chose this time to vanish. "Yeah. That's why I was late-I had to take another road just to get the food needed for tonight." 

Anna allowed a light grin to surface while taking the bag and looking inside. Yet, when she looked back up, once again, she was glaring at her fiancé. 

"So, Yoh…where's the spices I told you to get?" 

Yoh facefaulted as he realized that he'd remembered the food, but completely forgot to get the spices! 

_"The way things are going now, I won't be able to face Ren if I'm put through anymore 'exercises!'" _

"I think about…500 laps around the house-before and after you've cooked dinner-should suffice. Now, move it!" 

Yoh groaned loudly while turning back around and preparing to endure more "torture" for the rest of the night! 


	6. Delivery Accepted or Denied

Anna: (looks around, narrows eyes) Hmph! This is _his_ home I'm in right now, and he doesn't even have the gall to show up-especially after he invited me here! (notices blinking answering machine, presses button) 

BlackTerriermon: (singing along with tune) _Believe it or not, DC isn't at home; please leave a message at the beep…We must be out, or we'd be dead thanks to Anna-where could we be? Believe it or not, we're not home…! (Beep!) _

Anna: (smashes machine with table leg) Now…where was I? Oh, yes-the author of this story doesn't own _Shaman King, and when I'm through with him-and his insane partner-he'll be glad he doesn't._

                                                             **Shaman King: The Rematch **

**                                                 Chapter V-Delivery Accepted…or Denied **

_"I am the one who will be the ruler of all the shamans and purify this world. And for that…I need your ghost." –Tao Ren, _Another Shaman __

_"The way you treat ghosts like property ticks me off!" –Asakura Yoh, _Shaman v.s. Shaman __

Nightfall had come and gone once again for the training shaman, Yoh-and, once again, when morning came about, his fiancée, Anna, had him woken up via sleep paralysis. 

"This is your last day to prepare before the rematch you accepted, so today will be very easy-after school today, you're doing double what you would normally do; and you'll get back before dinner, or you won't get any at all!" 

After hearing that, Yoh got to his feet, ate breakfast as fast as he could, and got dressed in record time-just in time to have to carry Anna's bag as they headed down to school, and to catch up with Manta, as well. 

"Excellent…Bason, my package-or, I should say, packages-have arrived!" 

Ren smiled evilly as he simply looked at the number of packages that had shown up on their front doorstep very early in the morning, and the person who had them delivered was well paid for, naturally. 

"Once the headphones boy runs into these opponents, it will take a miracle for him to survive, and should he survive this…tomorrow will be very, very interesting…" 

In the next room, Jun paced, knowing precisely what was in those packages…and wondering if Yoh would be able to survive what was to come…

"I can't believe Anna had you do the Electric Chair, Yoh…well, actually, I can, but-during class?! I figured she would at least wait until during our lunch hour." 

"That's not how Anna does things, Manta, and you know that just as well as I do. She'd probably have me run in place while I'm at the board answering a question!" 

"Hmm. You have a point there." 

During class, Yoh had fallen asleep, and after waking him up in a not-so-nice manner, Anna had her fiancé perform the Electric Chair for the second time-the first was, of course, when she had first enrolled herself into his class-in front of Manta, and everyone, yet again. 

Now, Yoh was going through his normal routine, but at double what he would normally do it at; as Anna had warned him, he would have to be done before dinner, otherwise, he wouldn't get dinner at all. At the moment, he was running a planned route with Manta along so he wouldn't slack off, not knowing that his training schedule was about to be drastically altered. 

Narrowing his eyes, Ren clenched his _Kwan Dao _spear tightly while pacing back and forth. 

"…Now, you are all sure what your mission entails? Do you understand what you must do, and that you shouldn't come back until you've done so?" 

Moments later, after being assured by the assassins that they would not fail, Ren smirked. 

"Good. Now, go, and don't come back until he's dead-or without his samurai!" 

Jun cleared her throat at that moment, looking at her brother with a flurry of emotions-the one that was sticking out, or being shown, was of great concern. 

"If you're here to congratulate me on a plan that should not fail, no thanks are necessary; nor are apologies. We are family, after all. But, if you're here to persuade me to wait, should the assassins I sent after that shaman fail, then I suggest you leave. I have more important things to do." 

The look of concern didn't fade away from Jun's face as Ren left the room, a determined, almost maniacal, look in his eyes. 

Yoh gasped loudly after crossing back over the same lake he'd gone across for the past few days! 

"Neat-you've done nearly everything Anna wants you to do, and it's not even time for the sun to set." Manta smiled lightly, definitely impressed by his best friend's progress. 

"That's good…so, what's last to do for today?" Yoh responded, while trying to catch his breath. 

"Well…let's see-you have to run 90 miles down the same track you've been on the past few days…WITHIN 10 MINUTES?!!" 

Manta's eyes widened as big as saucer plates after reading that. 

"How does she expect you to run 90 miles in just 10 minutes? That's nearly impossible for anyone to do!" 

Looking around, Yoh replied calmly, "Well, when you have motivation like these guys around, it's not hard to do what Anna asks." 

"Huh?" Blinking, Manta looked around as well…and nearly fainted when he noticed that the two of them were surrounded by an unknown number of assassin spirits! 

"WHEN DID THESE GUYS GET HERE?!!" 

"I think around the time you started reading Anna's list. Speaking of which, you should go find her, Manta." 

"Find Anna?! What for?" 

A light grin appearing on his face, Yoh said, "To let her know why I might be late for dinner." 

With that said, Yoh pulled out his short _bokuto _and felt, rather than saw, Amidamaru appear behind him. 

"Alright, Yoh. Just be careful. These guys look like they play for keeps." Manta cautioned as he headed off to find Anna. 

Yoh responded with a light nod as he prepared himself for battle. 

Manta had barely even made it to the crossroads when he gasped loudly and fell to the ground in shock. 

"Anna?! What are you doing here?"

Looking down the path that Manta had come from, Anna narrowed her eyes before answering Manta's question. 

"I was on my way out to get some food for dinner tonight in the hope that Yoh would actually be finished with his training in time. But, after being informed by one of the ghosts who haunt the track that Yoh had been ambushed by assassin spirits, I took it upon myself to come see what was going on." 

Manta's eyes were once again the size of saucer plates as Anna passed him by and headed down the path he had been leaving. 

"Ghosts haunt the track Yoh trains on, and you didn't tell either one of us about it?!" 

"I thought you knew about it; Yoh already knew about it." 

Shaking his head, Manta managed to catch up to Anna at that time. 

"So, are you going to help Yoh out on this one, Anna?" 

Looking over at where Yoh was surrounded by the assassin spirits, Anna closed her eyes and shook her head. 

"There's nothing I can do for him right now. But, I do know this-Yoh hasn't come this far just to give up now. Which means only one thing-he _will_ win in this challenge sent against him by Ren." 

"I hope you're right about this." 

_"INTEGRATE!! AMIDAMARU!!" _

Yoh kept his focus on the assassin spirits that hovered around him, yet they seemed to grow in number so quickly, that he couldn't figure out how many there were. 

_"Concentrate, Lord Yoh-instead of figuring out how many there are, we should defeat as many of them as possible. The less there are, the less we'll have to worry about." _

"Right!" 

After concentrating, Yoh instantly turned to his left, raising his _bokuto _to defend, blocking the first attack thrown his way, then after jumping back a few meters or so, preparing to counterattack. 

"Alright…you guys want to defeat me-you'll have a hard time doing that!" 

Not even waiting for any of them to make the first move this time, Yoh raised his weapon up and launched his attack! 

_"AMIDA-RYU SHOCK WAVE BUDDHA-GIRI!!" _

The attack launched by Yoh-and Amidamaru-was a technique Amidamaru had developed which would take down 10,000 men during the era in which he'd lived in; the very air was used by the technique to hit the enemies far beyond his arm's reach in those days. 

At this moment, however, the attack had taken down at least 50% of their foes, if not 60%. Despite that huge advantage, still, more assassin spirits appeared, and launched their own attacks at the one they had been ordered to destroy. 

"Come on…don't let their numbers overwhelm you…!" 

Anna clenched her beads tightly only moments after removing them from around her neck, with Manta observing alongside her. 

"Are you planning on jumping in and helping Yoh out, Anna?" 

Eying Manta for a moment, before refocusing her attention back to the battle, Anna nodded briefly. 

"Only if it looks like he might lose this fight…then, I'll send them all to hell…!" 

Manta facefaulted in surprise-and shock-after hearing that. 

"All of them…? Even Yoh…?!" 

KAWHAP! 

Seconds later, Manta was blasted to the ground by one slap via Anna's right hand, yet this time, he wasn't knocked out. 

"I don't plan on sending Yoh there-just the spirits who are trying to kill him!" 

Getting to his feet, Manta tried to ignore the painful sting in his cheek while forcing himself not to be angry with Anna. 

"Next time, you could tell me that, instead of knocking me down." 

"I'll keep that in mind, Squirt." 

Yoh was knocked down to the ground by numerous attacks sent his way, and one of the attacks had literally split his _bokuto _in two! Despite that, Yoh smirked as he got to his feet. 

"Whichever one of you did that, I'll have to thank-now, I get the opportunity to use another attack to get rid of you guys!" 

Instantly, after grabbing the weapons, Yoh got into the legendary battle stance that earned his spirit companion his title of "Fiend" 600 years ago. 

_"AMIDA-RYU HALO BLADE!!" _

Seconds afterward, another 40% were defeated…yet, from the way other assassin spirits appeared, Yoh and Amidamaru knew this battle wasn't over with anytime soon. 

"I don't get it! How can these guys just keep appearing after Yoh and Amidamaru keep getting rid of them?" 

With a look of irritation on her face, Anna started headed forward while responding to Manta's question, not even waiting for him to keep up. 

"This is only a hypothesis, but I'm sure I would be dead on-so to speak. The reason the assassin spirits are able to keep reappearing after Yoh defeats a significant number is because they're able to communicate with other assassin spirits, and to alert them of their mission. Once that's been done, anytime Yoh takes care of some of them, those others will show up, and attempt to tire him out." 

"That's…a pretty good hypothesis, Anna." Manta admitted, looking over at where Yoh was getting back to his feet. 

"Like I said-I'm sure I would be dead on in my hypothesis. Now…to get Yoh out of this predicament." 

Yoh was able to get back to his feet, but not without having to duck another assault from the spirits. 

"Everytime we get rid of these spirits, Amidamaru, more of them keep showing up! How…?" 

_"The spirits that originally ambushed you, Lord Yoh, have been communicating with other assassin spirits, so that once we've defeated any number of them, those other ones will appear. We have to hit them all in one concentrated shot." _

"With one concentrated shot, huh? Alright." 

Staring at the remainder of the assassin spirits, Yoh clenched his _bokuto_ tightly in his hands-he'd had to discard the other one after it had been splintered to pieces by an attack-while launching one last attack. 

_"SHOCK WAVE BUDDHA-GIRI!!!" _

Seconds later, the assassin spirits were taken care of, and gone from sight…until another wave of them appeared! A moment later, Yoh dropped to his knees, physically drained and exhausted; Amidamaru was forced to exorcise himself from Yoh's body at that instant. 

"Well, Amidamaru…we tried." 

Yoh was able to get back to his feet, knowing this may be the end, but if it was, he was going to go down fighting…just like Anna would probably want him to go. 

_"SOULS OF THE ASSASSIN SPIRITS!!" _

Turning in shock, Yoh and Amidamaru saw Anna, in a deep trance, holding her prayer beads above her head the same way she'd held them to help Yoh face Bailong…but, in this case, it felt to Yoh and Manta like a very dark presence had made itself known at that time. Refocusing back on the spirits, Yoh realized that they were being pulled directly toward Anna-and the prayer beads that, instead of summoning a spirit from beyond, would send the remaining assassin spirits directly to hell. 

"Nice job, Anna!" 

Placing her beads back around her neck, the trance she had been under broken, Anna eyed her fiancé with either a look of irritation, or one of relief. 

"I wasn't about to let your rival kill you in a cowardly manner, by sending assassin ghosts to do his dirty work, Yoh." 

Yoh smiled while placing his _bokuto away for the time being. Thanks to the three days, he felt like he was truly ready to face Ren once again. _

_"This time, it will end the same way it ended last time…I won't let Anna, or my friends, down!" _

Placing his spear back into its briefcase, Ren had a look of confidence on his face. 

_"With the help of that girl, he was able to defeat all of the assassin spirits…perhaps he _will _be a formidable challenge tomorrow evening." _

Focused on what was to occur the next day, Ren didn't notice that his sister was looking at him through the opened door, with the same look on her face that was there earlier. 

_"But, even if he is indeed ready, this rematch will end differently…not only will I claim your samurai spirit, but your trainer as well!" _


	7. The Calm before the Storm

Me: Alright, everyone-thanks for the reviews during the previous chapter, by the way-I don't own _Shaman King, and I probably never will, so-let's get this show on the road-_

BlackTerriermon: (gasps) Hey…forgetting about something?! LIKE ME!!! (is being choked by Anna for comments in previous chapter) 

Me: Hmm…you're right-I did forget something. (walks over to refrigerator, takes out bottle of soda; drinks it) That's better. 

BlackTerriermon: HEY! (struggles to breathe) 

Anna: (smiles lightly, frowns at grinning BlackTerriermon) That was a poor move on your part, informant! 

Me: (chuckles lightly, drinks soda) Now, like they say in Hollywood…roll 'em! And, don't worry-she's not gonna kill him; how else would Anna be able to keep track of her fiancé? 

BlackTerriermon: (gasps loudly) Momentai…! 

Anna: (narrows eyes) Oh-and, to a certain author who wants me to "go easy on Yoh" during the training…you'd better hope I don't find you! 

Me: (sighs, continues to drink soda; ignores BlackTerriermon's frantic movements) Also, I don't own the song "Trust You," the first ending song for this series. The lyrics are found on www.animelyrics.com. 

                                                             **Shaman King: The Rematch **

**                                                 Chapter VI: The Calm before the Storm **

_"People with special senses share a bond. It's called 'feeling it in your bones.' It's an omen from the stars. I felt it, too…" –Kyoyama Anna, _Tokagero's Assault __

_"You do not truly know someone…until you fight them." –Seraph, _The Matrix: Reloaded __

The day had finally arrived…for Asakura Yoh, within the next 17 hours or so, he would be involved in a battle for his life, so to speak. He would have to face an opponent he had already defeated before, but had agreed to face him again, with bigger stakes on the line. If he lost, not only would he have to relinquish his spirit samurai, Amidamaru, but his fiancée, Kyoyama Anna, who hadn't been thrilled about Yoh accepting the rematch from Tao Ren in the first place, yet remained by his side. 

_"This match is one that I _must _win…no matter what it takes! I'll just do my best, and together, Amidamaru and I will win!" _

"Yoh! You're falling behind! Hurry up-school's going to start in 30 minutes!" 

"Coming, Anna!" 

"Finally, Bason…the day has come for my revenge!" 

Tao Ren was still in intense training as the day had begun-at least, once he'd gotten up. 

"The attack with the assassins may have failed, but they did accomplish one thing-they tired him out. He might not be at 100% when we face off this evening, and that would be a shame if that was to occur." 

Jun paced in the other room, concern for her brother and his opponent growing. If things had gone her way-or, Anna's-this match wouldn't be taking place. 

_"Yoh…I hope your fiancée trained you well, and I hope you can defeat my brother again…girls like the itako are a rarity to come by." _

School was going quicker than Yoh had expected; matter-of-fact, when it was time for lunch, Yoh had actually expected to be doing the Electric Chair again since Anna had caught him sleeping during class! 

"You think she's going lenient because of what may happen tonight?" Manta asked. 

"Probably. Then again, she could just be waiting until after we get home." Yoh responded grimly. 

"Yeah. That would definitely be something Anna would do." Manta agreed. 

Speaking of the itako, she was approaching her fiancé with her own homemade lunch, eyeing Yoh with a look of caution in her eyes. 

_"You'd better give it your all tonight, Yoh…and, you'd better be careful, too. The last thing I-any of us-would want is for something to happen to you…" _

_(Why are more and more people dreaming of the other world…? Laugh all the way…) _

The day had come and gone, and both shamans were spending the afternoon training as vigorously as ever, in preparation for the upcoming rematch. Whereas Ren trained with the same brutality that had been shown in their first Shaman Fight, Yoh's training schedule had lessened. True, he still had to go through the usual running and swimming, but his time limit wasn't as strenuous as it had been ever since Anna had reunited with him in the hospital. 

"Okay, now I'm convinced-she's going lenient on you!" 

"What makes you say that?" Yoh asked grimly while running back as fast as he could. "I still have to do the training exercises-and, tonight's the rematch! How is this going lenient?!" 

"Simple-she said you had to be done within one hour, where, normally, you would have to go until nearly dinnertime." 

Blinking once or twice, Yoh realized, as his best friend turned the corner, that he was right. 

"Heading back to school?" 

"Yeah-unlike you, I have a later class; I'll be able to make it in time to cheer you on, though." 

Yoh grinned to himself as he waved back at Manta, continuing on the path back to his house. 

As for Anna, she wasn't doing what she would normally be doing-watching television-but, instead, she was outside the house, awaiting the arrival of her fiancé. 

"Things are moving forward too rapidly, Yoh. The Shaman Fight is nearing, which means you have to survive this rematch…I won't allow him to beat you!" 

_The wind gently passes through my hair…_

_(There's no place like you for me…) _

_Unchanged from yesterday, alone in the quiet sunset…What are you looking at? _

_Far eye sight…looking before you…Move on without turning back_

Once again, Yoh had surprised Anna by showing up promptly on time, since he had been late the night he'd been "tortured" by having to run 1,000 laps around the house. 

"Okay, Anna…I've done the running exercises, and the swimming exercises…is there anything else I've gotta do today?" 

To Yoh's surprise, Anna shook her head, signifying that he was done for the day. 

"Alright. Then, I guess I'll go and get dinner ready-" 

"Not tonight, Yoh." 

Turning around to face his fiancée in near shock, Yoh saw it at that precise second-concern and worry in Anna's eyes before she abruptly closed them. When she reopened them, they were the same as before-void of emotion. 

"I'll get dinner ready, Yoh. You should rest until I call you." 

Knowing he would be signing his death wish should he refuse in any manner, Yoh simply nodded before turning back around to head to his room. 

"Yoh…!" 

"Yeah, Anna?" 

Her hands trembling ever so slightly, Anna stared at her fiancé for what seemed like an eternity, wondering what she should say to him, if she should say anything at all concerning this fight. 

"…Never mind, Yoh. Just get some sleep." 

The itako's thoughts were her own as she watched Yoh head into the house before going to prepare dinner. 

_"I want to tell you, Yoh…but, not now. Once you've fulfilled your dream and become Shaman King…that's when I'll say it." _

_Chorus: Sometimes, I'm very lonely…_

_Sometimes, I'm very painful…_

_I want to run up, hug, and tell you, but I won't say it now _

_The day you capture your dream, I will only believe that day…_

_(Why are more and more people dreaming of the other world…? Laugh all the way…) _

Dinner, as Yoh hadn't had to make it this time, was a borderline between amazing and stunning. What was also stunning to the young shaman was that he'd run quite a long way in a shorter amount of time than usual, and he wasn't wiped out. 

_"It must've been because of the sleep Anna suggested I get. That must be why I'm not tired-or, as tired as I would normally be, like at school-" _

"Yoh!" 

Anna's abrupt, though not unusual, response had snapped Yoh out of his thoughts. Looking over at the itako, who was sitting across from him, Yoh took notice that Anna had gotten out of her seat, had finished her dinner and was now staring out of the window as the last rays of sunlight were fading and giving way to darkness. 

"Tonight may very well be one of the most difficult matches you will have to face before the Shaman Fight begins. You're going up against an opponent who you've already battled, and was actually able to defeat him despite receiving a serious injury. I won't have to tell you to be on your guard and I won't be able to jump in and help out like I did the night before. But, I will be able to tell you this-don't you dare lose, Asakura Yoh…" 

_When the tired and injured wings want rest…_

_(There's no place like me for you…) _

_At your heart, ask softly, and the answer will be there…_

_By trying to despise and trying to blame, the light will never shine…_

Yoh nodded, with the same grin on his face as he normally had, preparing to say something, but Anna held up one hand, not to slap him with, but to mentally say that she wasn't done talking. 

"…I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." 

Yoh's smile turned into a gentle one as he walked over to the itako and, knowing he was risking his life even more so than usual, turned her around-so that she was facing him-and hugged her. 

"Don't worry, Anna. Nothing's going to happen. Everything will turn out okay. You'll see." 

To Yoh's surprise, Anna wrapped her own arms around him and returned the hug; he hadn't even noticed that she was now resisting the urge to cry on his shoulder. 

_"Things don't turn out the way you want them to…but, in this case, Yoh, I hope you're right…" _

_Chorus: Sometimes, I lose my way…_

_Sometimes, I stop…it's okay to feel low or get lost _

_With the miracle that was found, a new wind will blow _

_I am believing the overlapping destiny…_

_Living…this time…_

Gathering what he would need for this battle following dinner-mainly the _bokuto _and Amidamaru-Yoh was barely able to notice a ghost shimmer next to Anna, say something to her in a low voice, then shimmer out as if it had never been there at all. 

"The rematch between you and Ren will take place at the graveyard within a few hours, so we'd better go now." 

"Huh?" Yoh looked over at Anna, a perplexed expression on his face. Anna frowned a moment after seeing it. 

"Don't even think that I was about to let you go there by yourself. I already know that you were going to get Manta to go with you, and if you think I was going to let that happen, then you didn't get enough sleep." 

"Sure, Anna. No problem." 

Yoh grinned sheepishly as he headed out the door, failing to notice the look of concern return-momentarily-to Anna's eyes.            

_"I want to see you defeat this adversary with my own eyes, Yoh…that way, I'll know one thing-you'll be able to do the exact same thing during the Shaman Fight, and become Shaman King." _

_I won't comfort you, but…_

_Chorus: Sometimes, I'm very lonely…_

_Sometimes, I'm very painful…_

_I want to run up, hug, and tell you, but I won't say it now _

_The day you capture your dream, I can see you capturing it…_

_(Why are more and more people dreaming of the other world…? Laugh all the way…) _

_(song ends melodically) _

Midway to their destination, Yoh, Anna and Amidamaru were joined by Manta, who almost went home after hearing where the battle was going to take place; however, after recalling that he was friends with all the ghosts, plus Anna's heated response that Yoh was his best friend and why wouldn't he be there to give him support, prodded the young boy to change his mind. 

"Do you think he'll have forgotten about the rematch?" 

"Think about it, Manta-he was the one who challenged Yoh for this rematch. He wouldn't forget about this, especially if he added that Yoh had only three days in which to train." 

"Oh. You're right about that, Anna." 

Yoh couldn't keep a grin off his face, even though he was only minutes away from being in one of the biggest battles of his life.

"Are you ready for this, Amidamaru? This could be a fight I might not make it out of." 

"Be confident in yourself, Lord Yoh. You will survive this fight. I assure you." 

Yoh's grin got a bit wider once he heard the vote of confidence from his samurai spirit. 

"Thanks, Amidamaru." 

Looking ahead, over to where Amidamaru's grave was at, Yoh's eyes narrowed when he saw that Tao Ren was perched on it, a sinister grin on his face, already merged with his spirit Bason. 

"It's time, Amidamaru. Let's do this!" 

Grabbing his _bokuto at that moment, Yoh held it up in the air before preparing to face one of his biggest challenges ever! _


	8. Nothing to Gain Everything to Lose

Me: Thanks for the reviews during the last chapter! I don't own _Shaman King-_although, I almost wished I did. 

BlackTerriermon: Why?! 

Me: Hmm…not really sure. This will be the chapter that focuses on the battle between Yoh and Ren! 

Anna: (glares at me with narrowed eyes) And, it _will _be a battle that Yoh wins, right? 

Me: Uh…

BlackTerriermon: (lol) If he doesn't find a way out of this, I'll be doing the remainder of all these chapters, and his stories! 

Me: No, you won't! Also, I don't own the chorus of _Tamashii Kasanete, _both versions-English and Japanese-found on www.animelyrics.com. 

BlackTerriermon: To Sonic Angel, DC would have Jun as a Shaman King muse, but the thing is this-we're having so much fun with Anna helping us keep things in line that one other girl may cause strife among us. 

Anna: Well? Yoh will win this battle, won't he?! 

Me: (glares at BlackTerriermon) Do you want me to take away your TV privileges?! 

BlackTerriermon: (clears throat) Anyway…onto the story! 

                                                             **Shaman King-The Rematch **

**                                                 Chapter VII: Nothing to Gain, Everything to Lose…**

_"…I'm no softie like Yoh!" –Kyoyama Anna, _Shaman King: Our Ryo __

_"Everything in relation to you is precious to me…" –Anonymous _

"It's time, Amidamaru! Let's do this!" 

Moments after holding up his _bokuto high in the sky, Asakura Yoh started heading forward toward his adversary Tao Ren, a determined look on his face, while Anna and Manta remained behind to observe the rematch that was only minutes away. _

"Only three days, and you still look the same as you did three days ago. Did you really spend your time wisely and train, _shaman?_" 

Glaring at Ren, not even taking his eyes off him once, Yoh clutched his weapon tightly as Amidamaru appeared by his side in Spirit Flame mode Version 2. 

"The last three days I spent will be all worth it once I beat you again and prove that spirits aren't mere tools!" 

With a wicked chuckle, Ren leaped off Amidamaru's grave and landed within mere inches from Yoh and his samurai spirit. 

"Oh, really? You think that you'll be able to best me again when the last time, it was because of your samurai's abilities that you were able to emerge triumphant?!" 

"I don't think it-I know it!" 

"Very well, then…prove it!" 

_"INTEGRATE! AMIDAMARU!!" _

With hands clenched together, Anna watched as her fiancé integrated with his spirit within .10 seconds and his _bokuto blocked Ren's assault with his spear. _

"Don't let your guard down, Yoh…you can beat him!" 

"You can do this, Yoh!" Manta yelled out a moment later. "Just remember…all the training you went through for the past few months!" 

Despite the fact that a vein appeared on her forehead, Anna resisted the urge to hit Manta upside his head for the simple reason she'd given him earlier-he would have to be here-and conscious-to give Yoh support. 

.10 seconds after integrating with his spirit partner, Yoh was able to block Ren's initial attack with his _bokuto, despite the fact that it nearly split again under the pressure Ren was putting on it. _

"You are indeed stronger than when we last faced off…but, that alone won't nearly be enough to assure your victory!" Ren snapped, clutching his spear while thrusting forward. 

"It'll be more than enough-and even more than that!" Yoh retorted while dodging the thrust and parrying with a move of his own-leaping up into the air and kicking Ren from behind, hitting him squarely in the back and causing him to stumble. 

_"Whoa! Who knew Yoh and Amidamaru could perform a move like that?!" _Manta thought in amazement while watching the rematch with widened eyes. _"If those two can keep this up, they might be able to pull off a stunning victory…!" _

Instantly getting to his feet, Ren extended his spear and caught Yoh off guard, sending him sprawling to the ground-hard! 

_"…if they can avoid from getting seriously hurt-or worse!" _

Pulling himself back up-albeit slowly-Yoh kept his eyes focused on his adversary, making sure he wouldn't try anything-or any provoked attacks. 

_"Be careful, Lord Yoh-he could try anything at anytime!" _Amidamaru warned cautiously. 

Yoh nodded once to show that he'd understood, then chose the precise moment to launch his attack! 

_"AMIDA-RYU SHOCK WAVE BUDDHA-GIRI!!!" _

Yoh watched, a determined look on his face, as the attack headed toward Ren, knowing there would be no way he could dodge it; Anna was thinking the same thing. 

_"From that range, there's no way he can avoid Yoh's attack. This fight might be over as quickly as it began." _

To Yoh's shock, Anna's disbelief, Manta's surprise, and Amidamaru's astonishment, Ren not only avoided the attack, but was able to split it in two before landing to the ground! 

"No way…that was Amidamaru's strongest technique!" Manta managed to respond, while Anna just stood there, not moving at all. 

"Did you and your little _friends think I would just let you and your samurai hit me from that far? If so, then you're more foolish than I originally gave you credit for! Now, an attack you're more familiar with-and, one that will actually connect!" _

Manta gasped as he remembered, during their first encounter with Tao Ren and Bason, that his strongest technique was able to split a car in two pieces! 

"Prepare to die, headphones boy! _VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!" _

"Not that attack again!" Manta exclaimed, nearly pulling most of his hair out. 

"Dodge the attack, Yoh…!" Anna gasped lightly, while watching as the attack soared closer toward her fiancé…

…until, Yoh had leaped up as far as he could go, and was able to avoid the attack in a different manner than he had the last time, landing next to Amidamaru's grave, a grin on his face! 

"That was a close one, wasn't it, Amidamaru?" 

"Of course. You were able to avoid the attack effortlessly, Lord Yoh." 

Anna sighed in relief while clasping her hands next to her heart; Manta was astounded, and impressed, by what he had just witnessed. 

_"He was able to avoid my attack…by jumping into the air! That's something a pure _novice _would do…Though, I must admit-it was quite effective." _

Unbeknownst to Ren, Jun had followed her younger brother, and was watching this battle with great interest, despite the concern she had for both combatants. 

"That was quite an innovative way to dodge my attack, _shaman. _There's only one question that must be answered…" 

Narrowing his eyes, Yoh took one step forward, not breaking concentration with Ren for a second! 

"…Can you dodge two attacks?! _VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!" _

Grunting loudly, Yoh managed to jump back up in the air again. This time around, seeing the counterattack caused Anna to get frustrated. 

"Yoh should know better than to use the same countermove twice! This time, he'll be ready for it!" 

"WHAT?!!" 

Unfortunately, Anna was right; the second Yoh jumped up to avoid the first attack, Ren instantly launched a second one when his opponent had jumped as high up as he possibly could! 

_"VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!" _

Yoh watched in shock as the attack started hurtling toward him-at the rate he was falling, the attack would almost certainly connect and cause a lot of damage, if not critical! 

"Yoh-GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Manta screamed worriedly, flailing his arms up and down, while Anna simply waited to see what would occur. 

To everyone's surprise, Yoh was able to dodge the attack by diving over it and rolling onto the ground, now close to his fiancée and his best friend. 

_"He was able to adapt to my attack while in the air…quite impressive. He could become a potential ally were it not for the fact that we both aspire to be Shaman King…and, that's a goal _I _intend to accomplish!" _

Yoh panted lightly while turning toward Anna and Manta, giving a quick grin of confidence before refocusing his attention on Ren. What Yoh had noticed before doing that was a big grin appearing on Manta's face; what Yoh hadn't noticed, however, was Anna smiling faintly before she also returned her attention to the fight. 

"Ren, I have to admit-you've gotten pretty good since I last faced you. But, there's something you've overlooked…_I've gotten just as good since then, too!" _

At that second, Yoh kicked a lead pipe, that had been on the ground only moments ago, into the air and caught it with his free hand. 

"I hope you remember this attack, 'cause this was what I used to beat you the last time! _AMIDA-RYU HALO BLADE!!!" _

Ren yelled loudly as he'd been caught off guard thanks to Yoh kicking the pipe into his hand, and was sent flying into the air before landing hard onto the ground. Anna couldn't help but smirk at what had transpired. 

"There's no way he can get up from that move. This fight is over with." 

_"No…it's not over with, Lady Anna!" _

That response, from Amidamaru, momentarily shocked Anna; as for Manta, he was already in shock, so it wasn't that much of a surprise. 

_"As good as Lord Yoh has gotten, one hit won't be able to effectively take down an enemy, and I sense that this enemy hasn't given up yet!" _

"How correct you are, Amidamaru! You shall be a great asset to my team, and with her helping me to grow stronger-" Ren, after getting to his feet, pointed directly at Anna, who growled lightly, "-we won't lose!" 

"Quit trying to show off and continue this fight!" Anna snapped irritably. "It's almost 10:00! The longer you're out here, the later we'll be in getting home!" 

"Hmm…you have a point. This fight is growing rather long, and as you'll be 'getting home' with me, you won't have to worry!" Ren raced toward Yoh, his spear already in position to attack. 

"She's not leaving with you, Ren-because I don't plan on losing!" Yoh retorted, blocking Ren's weapon with his _bokuto…which turned out to be a mistake! At that second, it was sliced in two, and the tip of Ren's spear was on a collision course with Yoh's head! _

"YOH, WATCH OUT!" Manta yelled, balling his fists up by his sides. 

Instantly, Yoh swung up the lead pipe and deflected the spear, causing Ren to stumble a bit. 

"You've lost one of your weapons, which leaves you with just one. Can you handle my assaults with just one weapon?" Ren asked, a light smirk on his face. 

"I came here with just one weapon…I just discarded one for another." Yoh responded, already poised for attack. 

"Finish this guy off, Yoh!" Anna demanded, apparently, in Yoh, and Manta's point of view, in no mood to be messed with. 

"You can do it, Yoh-hurry and knock this guy outta the cemetery!" Manta insisted. 

Eyeing both combatants, Jun waited to see which one would emerge triumphant. 

_"If I were you, Yoh…I'd try to figure out a different plan of attack. Taking my brother head-on like this won't work much longer!" _

"It's time to finish this, Amidamaru!" Yoh declared, holding onto the lead pipe with a ferocious grip. 

"Too true, headphones boy-it _is time to finish this! And, it's time for you to die in peace! _100% INTEGRATION!!! VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" __

"I don't think so! _100% INTEGRATION!!! AMIDA-RYU SHOCK WAVE BUDDHA-GIRI!!!" _

The two attacks not only collided fiercely in the air, they each were split in two, and went in different directions! One of Yoh's attacks nearly hit Ren head-on, but he had been able to dodge it; the other one went up into the sky and eventually faded from sight. One of Ren's attacks nearly hit Manta, if Anna hadn't used her beads to pull him-none too gently-out of harm's way; as for the other attack, that had grazed Yoh's right arm, which caused him intense pain, but he hadn't dropped the pipe at all. 

"And, now that you're wounded, this fight will be mine! _VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" _

This time, Yoh hadn't even had time to look up at it whatsoever-he'd taken a direct hit! 

_Time seemed to stop for a moment as Anna, with widened eyes, Manta, with hands on either side of his face, Jun, with a look of shock on her face, and Ren, a smug look of confidence on his face and in his eyes, all watched as Asakura Yoh slowly fell backward and gently hit the ground next to Amidamaru's grave, the pipe still clutched in his hand…_

"YOH! HANG ON!" Manta pleaded, already starting to run toward his best friend, but a light sob made him refocus his attention behind him. 

"That idiot actually lost this rematch…I believed him when he told me everything was going to be okay…" 

"It can't be…!" Manta whispered lightly, his thoughts confirming what he was saying. _"Anna's always a take-charge girl, never revealing emotion of any kind, but now…" _

In pure disbelief, Anna dropped to her knees, clutching her heart like it was breaking, not wanting to believe what had just transpired. 

_Deau nakama sono egao wa yasuragi kureru kara…_

_(Because the friends I meet, those smiling faces, give me peace of mind…) _

_Chorus: Mimamotte itai shinjite itai…_

_Donna toki mo hanarebanare demo…_

_(I want to be watching over them, I want to believe in them…_

_No matter what time, no matter if we're apart…) _

_Kokoro wa itsumo tomo ni aru no sa…_

_Atatakai nukumori ni…_

_(Our hearts are always together…_

_In warmth…) _

_Tamashii kasanete…_

_(Our souls overlap…) _

"Anna…what are we going to do?" Manta asked out loud, not expecting what was coming next from her, and definitely not expecting to see tears falling down her face. 

"I don't know! If Yoh dies…I'll never forgive him for lying to me!" 

Now Manta was _really shook up, after seeing this display of emotion from Anna. _

_"Anna's crying…?" _

After taking a moment or so to process this information, Manta ended up saying the last thing he'd never thought he'd say. 

"THE WORLD'S GONNA END, AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!" 

"One day, you might…but, this day, only one of us has died!" Ren responded, a smirk on his face. "And, that's the one who _thought_ he could defeat me! But, just to make sure he's truly dead…!" 

Chuckling evilly, Ren leaped up into the air and extended his spear once more, knowing victory was practically in his grasp. 

"SAY GOODBYE, 'SHAMAN!' _VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" _


	9. A reason to Survive

Me: Thanks for the reviews during the previous chapter; we're nearing the homestretch of my first Shaman King story! Speaking of Shaman King, I don't own it, and I don't see that happening anytime soon, so…

BlackTerriermon: (gulps, taps me on shoulder) We've got a problem, and her name starts with "Anna" and ends in "Kyoyama…" (smirks) Though, if things go her way, it would end in "Asakura." (lol, screams as Anna pushes him to the ground) 

Anna: (glares at me with narrowed eyes) The tears and the crying, I can handle. The emotions and the pain, I can handle. You having Ren take Yoh from me after that battle…I can't handle! (holds up beads) Prepare to spend eternity in one very, very, _very hot place! _

Me: (sighs, rolls eyes) I also don't own _Oversoul, _and you can find the Japanese lyrics on www.animelyrics.com. Originally, the translated lyrics were there too, but they've been taken down for some reason; they may come back up one day, but that may not happen. And-there will be one more chapter after this one, so we're not done yet. 

                                                             **Shaman King: The Rematch **

**                                                 Chapter VIII-A reason to Survive…**

_"I think we can resolve this without anybody getting hurt. Don't worry, Anna." –Asakura Yoh _

_"If Yoh dies, it's **your fault!" –Kyoyama Anna, _Shaman King: The Integral Tokagero _**_

"SAY GOODBYE, 'SHAMAN! _VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" _

With pain and sadness visibly shown in Anna's eyes, and shock and worry in Manta's eyes, neither one could even think about moving to prevent this attack from hitting as Ren landed lithely on the ground. 

_"Finally…my revenge will be complete, and not only will this poor excuse of a shaman be gone from this world, but I shall have two new additions to my team as well!" _

As the attack neared closer and closer to Yoh, a voice that hadn't been heard in some time chose to speak now. 

_"DON'T DIE, LORD YOH!!!" _

To the shock and utter disbelief of everybody there, at that precise moment, Yoh's arm-that held the pipe-moved up and sliced the approaching attack in two, causing the attack to vanish instantly! 

"…I'm not dead yet, Ren, and this fight's not over with!" 

_Yomigaere…_

_(Revive a soul…) _

"How?! There's no way you could've survived my last attack!" 

Yoh grinned lightly while clutching his side, futilely attempting to keep the blood from flowing down his body. 

"To you, it looked like I hadn't been able to avoid the attack, but thanks to Amidamaru dodging it at the last possible second, I end up with a cut on my side instead of a body divided in two." 

After getting back up to her feet, Anna was finally able to notice the deep cut on the left side of Yoh's body, the blood dripping down to the ground as he struggled to remain on his feet. 

"So, your abilities as a shaman have improved, especially if you can survive that, and still be able to stand. But, your strength must be depleted a lot, especially since your blood is _still falling on the ground." Ren noted, a wicked grin on his face. "You wouldn't be able to survive more than…5-10 blows, by my count." _

"After the training I've received these past few months, Ren…you'd be surprised how many blows I can take!" Yoh replied, waiting for him to make the first move and willing his body to stop the increasing flow of blood. 

"Then, let's find out!" 

_Sora to daichi ga kousa shite iru ima tatazunderu kono sekai de _

_(The sky and the earth cross each other on this earth I'm standing on now) _

_Inochi ga umare mata shizundeku kurikaesareru itonami no naka… _

_(The life is born and gone again in this repeating daily life…) _

Watching Ren launch his spear directly at his face at that second, Yoh was barely able to raise the pipe up to deflect the attack just in time, so that the two weapons collided fiercely before being pulled apart. 

_"We need a strategy to defeat our adversary, Lord Yoh. Deflecting and dodging his attacks won't work for long!" _

"I know, Amidamaru! But, what would it be…? He won't let his guard down, and I'm barely able to stay on my feet." 

Yoh racked his brain for answers while lithely dodging most of Ren's attacks, hand still clutching his side to attempt to stop the blood until he heard someone respond in a strained voice behind him. 

"The answer should be obvious even to you, Yoh. You have to break through his defenses." 

_Sora to daichi ga kousa shite iru ima tatazunderu kono sekai de _

_(The sky and the earth cross each other. On this earth I'm standing on now…) _

_Inochi ga umare mata shizundeku kurikaesareru itonama no naka…_

_(The life is born and gone again in this repeating daily life…) _

"…What?" 

Narrowing her eyes-while wiping the stained tears from her cheeks-Anna forced herself to stand to her feet. 

"You have to break through his defenses. Basically, if you can split his spear into pieces, that would diminish his chances of blocking your moves." 

"Thanks, Anna." 

With that said, Yoh refocused his attention on Ren; Anna allowed a small smile to cross her face at that moment. 

"You promised me everything would be okay…and, you're keeping that promise. Thank _you, Yoh." _

As Yoh charged toward his adversary, only one thought was on his mind…

_"I won't let your dream-or mine-die tonight, Anna…! I _will _survive this!" _

_Konna monto yogitta toki yume wa chikara o nakusu _

_("This is how it is…" when this thought crosses your mind; the dream loses its power)  Mou ichido umareyou kono basho de…_

_(Start a new life again at this very place…) _

WHANG!! 

That one sound reverberated throughout the entire cemetery, forcing Yoh, Manta and even Anna to clutch their ears in pain; Ren hissed lightly, refusing to acknowledge that he didn't approve of the sound like the others. 

_"Now, Lord Yoh-while he's distracted!" _

"Right, Amidamaru! _AMIDA-RYU SHOCK WAVE BUDDHA-GIRI!!!" _

Ren screamed loudly as he'd actually been caught unaware and was sent up into the air before landing on his feet, chuckling to himself. 

"Very impressive…you actually caused me some pain-not as brutal as the one I gave you, but it's close…_too close!" _

Ren snarled while lunging forward with his spear aimed at Yoh's heart; it was once again countered with not only Yoh's weapon, but with a quick shot to his injured side. 

"You may be able to adapt to these situations, _shaman_…but, I will be victorious!" 

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" 

_Chorus: Seigi no sono oku de yume ga ikizuite iru kasanaru chikara o shinjite…_

_(Behind the justice, the dream is alive, believing in powers building up…) _

_Seigi no sono oku ni yami ga hisonde iru mi kiwamero subete o…! _

_(Behind the justice, the darkness is lurking around; watch everything to the end…!) _

_Furi ageta yuuki wa kirisaku tame janal hiki au kizuna de…_

_(Raised courage (sword) is not to slash with bonds, drawing each other…) _

_Yobi samase…azayaka ni…_

_(Wake up…freshly…) _

Yoh carefully circled his opponent while holding onto his side, knowing that he'd caused him some serious pain moments ago, while figuring out what to do next. 

_"Okay…Amidamaru, he already knows I wounded him on one side, so he'll probably expect me to target that spot. Instead, we'll target his _other _side, and hurt him on both sides!" _

_"Excellent strategy, Lord Yoh! But, what if he should know we're using this plan of attack?" _

_"Don't worry, Amidamaru. I already have it all under control." _

Clutching the pipe, Yoh started forward, preparing to launch an attack, when he screamed lightly, pulling his hand away from his injured side. 

"Yoh! What happened?!" Manta exclaimed as he kept a close eye on Ren, who had a smirk on his face at that second. 

Her hands clenched together, while struggling to fight back another set of tears, Anna had kept a close, careful watch on her fiancée since he'd gotten back up when he'd received that life-threatening injury earlier. 

"He was keeping pressure on that wound of his-_too much _pressure! Sure, if you get an injury like this, you're supposed to keep pressure on it, but if you keep too much, you're only risking that injury getting infected without the proper care that it needs." 

"So, does this mean Yoh's putting himself in more danger than he needs to be?" Manta asked, eyes widening with worry as Yoh placed pressure back onto his side again.

"If he's careful with how much pressure he puts on that wound of his, it won't get infected." 

Anna closed her eyes at that second, keeping the rest of that statement to herself. 

_"The longer he's out here, though, the quicker that wound may get infected…" _

_Kizutsuite yuki ba o nakushi samayotte iru sono tamashii o…_

_(The power to heal the wandering, hurt and lost soul…) _

_Iyasu chikara wa, kokoro no oku de shizuka ni ko douki o kizande iru…_

_(…Is beating silently, deep within the heart…) _

_Moteru chikara subete butsuke namida o nagaresu no __nara_

_(If your tears flow after using up all your power…) _

_Erabubeki machi wa kimi o matteru…! _

_(The road you should choose is waiting for you…!) _

"Well? Are you going to make a move, or are you just going to stand there and bleed to death? The longer you keep this battle delayed, the more your wound will get infected! You'll be doing me a favor-I won't have to kill you at all!" 

Yoh gritted his teeth while holding up the pipe once more, growing tired of Ren's obnoxious laugh. 

"You're the one who should worry about an infection, Ren! Let's go, Amidamaru!" 

"Bason!" 

Ignoring the pain stabbing both of them fiercely in their sides, Yoh and Ren raced forward, prepared to attack. Putting his plan into action, Yoh swung the pipe toward Ren's uninjured side. 

"What's he doing? That side's not hurt at all!" 

To Anna, it looked like Manta was close to having a nervous breakdown; nevertheless, a light smirk was on her face while she explained Yoh's plan. 

"It's easy, Squirt-if Yoh tried attacking Ren's injury, Ren would simply block it while planning a counterattack…" 

Laughing loudly, Ren's spear instantly blocked Yoh's attack, while pushing him back at the same time, preparing himself for anything his adversary might throw at him. 

"…so, if Yoh tried attacking the side that wasn't hurt, Ren might not be prepared for it, but since it looked like he was…" 

Yoh couldn't help but allow a smirk to cross his face as he revealed a _bokuto _from behind his back, knowing he was risking much by not putting pressure on his wound. 

"Now, Amidamaru! _AMIDA-RYU HALO BLADE!!!" _

"…Yoh would simply reveal the second _bokuto _he'd noticed after he'd landed next to it earlier and launch an attack." 

Ren growled angrily as he was hit again, revealing that he was now wounded on both sides! 

"All right-enough playing around, _shaman!" _

Chorus: _Mi shimatta ima to toori sugita kako no akama de akirameru yori mo…_

_(Rather than giving up between the lost present and the past you left behind…) _

_Ima me o sora sazu ni koko kara hajimeyou; mi kiwamero ashita o! _

_(Look straight. Start again from here; watch tomorrow to the end!) ]_

_Dare ka ni misetsukeru yuuki wa nugi sutete. Sugao ni modorou…! _

_(Throw away the courage you're just showing off. Return to real, you…!) _

_Yobi samase…azayaka ni…_

_(Wake up…freshly…) _

_"100% INTEGRATION!" _

_"100% INTEGRATION!" _

Anna, Jun and Manta watched, knowing that this time, they were going to go all out, wounded or not. 

"It's time for me to finish this, and prove once and for all that I'm the superior shaman, and that I'm destined to become Shaman King! Bason!" 

"You won't be taking Amidamaru, _or Anna from me! Not tonight, and not ever! Amidamaru!" _

Moving rapidly, both weapons collided fiercely with each other once more, neither one giving an inch to the other! 

"And, now…let's finish this, Bason! _VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!!!" _

Quickly deflecting with the _bokuto, Yoh knew now what he had to do. _

_"You ready, Amidamaru?" _

_"Yes, Lord Yoh-let's end this with everything we've got!" _

Eyeing Ren with a quick glance, Yoh raised both his weapons up one last time. 

_"AMIDA-RYU HALO BLADE!!!" _

"Ha!" 

Just as quick as Yoh was, Ren was able to avoid that attack the same way Yoh had avoided his-by jumping in the air. To Ren's surprise, Yoh was smiling! 

_"Why would he…? I just dodged his attack by using the same technique he used!" _

"Now, Amidamaru! _AMIDA-RYU SHOCK WAVE BUDDHA-GIRI!!!" _

That's when it hit Ren-he'd reached the limit of how high up he could go the precise second Yoh had launched his attack. Closing his eyes as he started his descent downward, Ren knew what would happen the instant he reached near ground level. 

_"This isn't over with, Yoh Asakura…!" _Ren vowed silently as the attack hit, sending him flying into the air before he landed a good distance from his opponent. _"One day, I _will _achieve what I desire, and learn so much more than you ever could, that you'll be even less worry to me than a cockroach! I shall _become the Shaman King…!" __

_Chorus: Seigi no sono oku de yume ga ikizuite iru kasanaru chikara o shinjite…_

_(Behind the justice, the dream is alive, believing in powers building up…) _

_Seigi no sono oku ni yami ga hisonde iru mi kiwamero subete o…! _

_(Behind the justice, the darkness is lurking around; watch everything to the end…!) _

_Furi ageta yuuki wa kirisaku tame janal hiki au kizuna de…_

_(Raised courage (sword) is not to slash with bonds, drawing each other…) _

_Yobi samase…azayaka ni…_

_(Wake up…freshly…) _

_Let there be light…Revive a soul…! _

(song continues on for 29 seconds, ends melodically) 

Watching carefully as Ren forced himself to get up to his feet and walk off, Yoh quickly turned around to see Jun nod lightly in his direction, a smile on her face, before she headed off after her younger brother. With that, he dropped to his knees, holding onto his wounded side once again. 

"You did it, Yoh! You defeated Ren again-and, this time, you planned things out perfectly!" Manta declared, a smile on his face. 

"No, he didn't!" 

Manta's eyes widened yet again as he turned around-slowly-to face an enraged Anna! 

"He just assumed what he thought up would work out without any problems. He could've just as easily died from that injury on his side, and from the second attack if he hadn't dodged it in time!" 

Anna's fists were clenched once more-this time, they were shaking in intense anger. Manta was quick to notice this, of course. 

"How dare he make me cry like this…he'll get extra training added on to his regime once that wound heals…!" 

_"She's back again!" _Manta thought frantically. _"The world isn't going to end after all!" _

Yoh smiled while looking up at the night sky. Despite the added training he would have to face in the coming weeks, he had learned something this night. What it was, he wasn't sure about yet, but he was positive he would figure it out sooner rather than later. 


	10. Never change, Itako no Anna

Me: Thanks to everyone who read my first Shaman King story! I don't own Shaman King, by the way. Congratulations to Athena-Courage for being the 100th reviewer. 

BlackTerriermon: That's nice-I think. (lol) Now-where's the soda I put out, anyway…? (gulps as Anna glares down at him) 

Anna: (narrows eyes) It's in the refrigerator, informant. Next time, use a coaster! 

BlackTerriermon: (reading script for final chapter, laughs loudly) Anna can be considered a friend?! (lol, screams as Anna dropkicks him into the sky) 

Me: (sighs) This final chapter may, or may not be long, as I am currently in progress for my next Shaman King story, which won't be out for some time. Enjoy, and thanks again for reviewing! Also, to Angel Reaper-an open wound gets infected without proper treatment; with too much pressure, the wound would just cause you to lose more blood. 

Anna: (narrows eyes, crosses arms) To the anonymous author who put us on trial, your questions will be answered in an e-mail, since there isn't enough time to answer them etiquettely here. Now, on to the story! 

                                                             **Shaman King-The Rematch **

**                                                 Epilogue: Never change, Itako no Anna **

_"…Everything is square." _–Kyoyama Anna, _Shaman King: The Dragon's Gratitude _

_"No one in this world is beyond redemption." _–Asakura Yoh, _Shaman King: Tokagero Blues _

For the second time in her young life as an itako, Anna found herself at the Funbari General Hospital very early the morning following the intense battle her fiancé, Yoh, had been involved in while facing Tao Ren. True, Yoh had been victorious, but only after being seriously injured by Ren the previous night. Manta had accompanied Anna to the hospital, but both he and Amidamaru had to wait in the waiting area whilst Anna was able to sit by Yoh's side; why that happened, no one really knows-not even Manta, since he and Amidamaru got to keep Yoh company the first time he'd been admitted. 

_"You could've died from this injury if you hadn't ended that fight, Yoh, just like I told Manta…you can't let your guard down against _any _of your opponents, and this time, it nearly cost you your life…!" _

"Do you think Yoh will wake up soon, Amidamaru? He's been out ever since we got him to the hospital this morning." 

"Of course, Lord Manta. Lord Yoh was seriously hurt last night, that's true, but I'm sure the injury has been well treated while he was sleeping-and, undoubtedly, while Lady Anna was resting as well." 

Manta couldn't help but grin lightly at Amidamaru's response. 

"I don't think Anna's gotten any sleep since before last night, or, if she has, it was really quick." 

Looking upward toward the samurai spirit, Manta was amazed to see a light, though visible, smirk on Amidamaru's face. 

"Trust me, Lord Manta-if she's determined to watch over Lord Yoh this thoroughly, then I'm sure that Lady Anna got some sleep early this morning." 

Shrugging his shoulders, Manta replied doubtfully, "Okay, Amidamaru-if you say so." 

(_Build a Bridge _plays in background) 

Eyeing her sleeping fiancé lying on his hospital bed for a few moments, Anna abruptly closed her eyes while placing her hand gently over his-something she wouldn't normally do in normal situations; this, however, wasn't a normal situation, so the itako felt it would be necessary to do something not so normal-for once. 

"Look, Yoh…this isn't easy for me to say, since I've never had to say what I'm going to say to anyone. So, I'm just going to say it. You already know why I've decided to train you for the upcoming Shaman Fight, but there's more than that one reason why I want you to become the Shaman King. It's because I know you can handle not only my training, but anything that any other shaman can throw at you, like what that Ren character did last night. Anyone who I'm engaged to should, and will, be able to handle shamans who would have just as much potential-which is why I know you'll do well. I wouldn't expect anything less from you, since you're not just my fiancé. You're someone who's done more for me in these past few weeks than you'll ever know." 

Reopening her eyes, Anna allowed a small smile to cross her face before releasing Yoh's hand and preparing to gather her things together, which weren't much. To her slight surprise, Yoh smiled at Anna while opening his own eyes and looking up at his fiancée. 

"No problem, Anna. Just don't ever change." Yoh advised, that smile never leaving his face. 

A light smirk appeared over Anna's face at that moment, pleased that Yoh looked like he was going to make a full recovery. 

_"Don't worry, Yoh…I don't plan to." _

(_Build a Bridge _fades out) 

"How much longer do you think Yoh and Anna will be in there? It's already nighttime-again, and if we have to stay out here much longer, I'm gonna get hungry and go crazy!" 

Laughing while watching Manta pace around the waiting room, Amidamaru replied calmly, "Don't worry, Lord Manta. It won't take that long for Lady Anna to assist Lord Yoh out of this place. I'm certain she'll be even more determined for him to train harder than before now that he's gotten Ren out of the way-for now." 

Manta chuckled lightly at that comment while agreeing with Amidamaru. "You have a point, Amidamaru. After what happened to Yoh now, she'll be even more hot headed with him…and with me, too!" Manta groaned loudly, his smile quickly turning upside down. 

Speaking of the itako, she was waiting for Yoh to gather what he needed so they could head home; that way, his injury could heal better if he was in a calmer place. Surprisingly to Yoh, this was something Anna suggested! 

"Make no mistake, Yoh-once you're fully healed, your training will resume it's normal course, and there will be no room for slacking! At this current time, your training will be cut in half." 

"In half?!" 

Anna nodded once. "Instead of doing what you normally do-which would take you until sundown to finish-you'll do the same thing, but finish it before lunchtime. And, if I were you, I wouldn't be late!" 

Yoh nodded, a worried look on his face while opening the door and allowing Anna to exit first. 

It didn't take either one of them long to reach the waiting room. Manta, who had resumed his pacing, smiled when he saw his friends enter the waiting room. 

"Hey, you two! How are you holding up, Yoh?" 

"He'll be fine. Let's get going, Manta; you and Yoh have some running to do tomorrow." Anna replied calmly while heading out the door. 

"Running?! But, what about Yoh's injury? Doesn't he need to rest?" Manta insisted in shock while heading after Anna, Yoh following his fiancée and his best friend. 

"That's what nighttime is for, Squirt." 

Yoh smiled to himself despite knowing that his training was going to be somewhat changed until he was fully healed. He knew now that whatever came, as long as his friends were with him, he could handle anything. 

While heading home, neither Yoh, Anna, or Manta had noticed someone in the shadows staring at them with an ominous look, and a wicked smirk on his face. 

"So, he was able to survive this test of his abilities…I would expect nothing less from him. Still, there's one more test he would have to endure before I will prepare myself to face him in the Shaman Fight. And, this is a test he _will _endure…! Trust me, Yoh Asakura…not only will you have to endure this test, but you will have a choice in the matter…to _survive, _and live…or _die _in disgrace…! Yes…the choice is indeed painful, but the one who will make the right choice will be someone very close to you, my brother…" 


End file.
